Long Walks,discovering new places, pilfered pumpkins, and I do not want what I cannot have 7


Today I went for a long walk down by Charles River Park.  I went down there to check out a sofa and chair that were advertised on Craig’s List (I’m a bit addicted to Craig’s List and search for furniture and jobs on it almost every day).  The sofa was too big for my space and a bit too worn for me.

I took the Red Line down to South Station, walked from there, then walked back through Faneuil Hall.  I’d never been to the high rises that make up Charles River Park although I’ve facilitated workshops  at MGH (Mass. General Hospital) before.  Today was one of those crisp fall days that I find perfect to walk in.  That whole area is a combination of old buildings and new places and it’s teeming with people: touristy people, government workers, court workers, people on their way to court, etc.  I have always loved walking – it is one of the times I feel freest and I bask in the glory of being anonymous.  I people watch along the way, eavesdrop on conversations, and sidestep traffic and congestion.

The day started out with a minor irritation.  Someone stole two of the three pumpkins I had on my front steps in between fall flower baskets.  My arrangements looked so pretty.  That’s a bummer.  A violation. 



  • I hope that whoever stole my pumpkins needed them and could not afford to buy them on their own.

  • Perhaps it was a mother or father who had promised their children a pumpkin and couldn’t afford to buy one.

  • They saw that I had three and therefore felt I had some to space.  (I actually probably would have given them away if someone had rang the doorbell and asked.)

  • Perhaps it was a couple of kids who have no impulse control and saw something that they wanted and took it.

  • The pumpkins weren’t large.  Next time I’ll get large ones that will require more effort to move.

  • Maybe a baker took them and will leave some delicious pumpkin muffins or roasted pumpkins seeds in a tin for me tomorrow.
    I was bummed and ticked-off for a quick minute and then I let it go until I sat down to write tonight.

    I practice the art of not wanting what I cannot have.  Life is easier that way.  I virtually never go window shopping.  I tend to only shop when I have money and a mission.  If you stay out of stores, it’s quite easy not to have a lot of desires.  I pretend shop with catalogues that stay in my life for a few weeks and then I recycle them.  For the time that the catalogue items are circled or the pages folded over – I return to them a dozen or so times and they feel like mine as I imagine them in my closet, on my person, or in my home.  Then, I snap to reality or another batch of magazines and catalogs arrive and I have to cull to make room for new ones.

I try not to covet what other people have.  I just want my own stuff.  I’m also trying to appreciate what I already have.  It is hard sometimes not to be envious. To wonder why them and not you. I have my moments but they tend to be few and short-lived.

When it is your turn in life, it is your turn and when it’s not, it just ain’t.  Continued efforts are the water that will prime the pump to help us get some of what we want, sooner or later.

Enough!  Signing off.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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7 thoughts on “Long Walks,discovering new places, pilfered pumpkins, and I do not want what I cannot have

  • Mark Tomizawa

    Same thing near Coolidge Corner in Brookline. Ours, and dozens of others in various streets, were smashed. Reminds me of community policing. Just by being there, broken windows encourage more crime. I called our police department and local paper and local school principal saying this is a teachable moment. The principal cares. The other two didn’t respond. And to be clear, I have zero idea of who smashed the pumpkins and whether it was one person or several. We’d brought the pumpkins back from Vermont where my 6 year old daughter had selected them herself. She was in tears. Perhaps it’s just her being 6. Or perhaps she sees the implications and wanted to make sure I didn’t miss out on the learning. In any event, her reaction got me to act.

  • Tehuti

    I am so pleased that you are writing this blog. Over the many years that I have known you, I always thought of the glorious things you could accomplish for yourself if you had the time you’ve generously have given to others. You have stepped out on faith and I am certain that you will achieve the dreams and desires of your heart. You can also depend on my love and support.

  • Candelaria Silva

    I heard from someone in South Boston that the same thing happened to them. I’m sorry that you daughter had to have this experience and I’m glad that at least one of the three authority figures you told responded.