Tuesday was a day off for "Princess Cut," so I take full advantage of it to head to Boston and spend the day with one of my best friends, Kevin Kokx, who lives a couple hours north of there in New Hampshire.
Rob Alderman & I met Kev and Brian Hash in seminary years ago in Minnesota, and we became known as "The Irreverends," what one of our professors described as "a cohort within our cohort." We've stayed closely connected since, and take every opportunity to get together. Kev was in Tennessee with me last month, so when I found out I was coming to New York and would have this day off, I called Kev and meeting up in Beantown was on.
A consistent aspect of Kevin's and my friendship is that we have a great deal of fun while also being able to have great conversations about deeper things. Tuesday was another one of those days. As soon as he met me at South Street station, we headed to Emmets pub not far off Boston Common. Excellent choice, as their fish & chips and the Emmets Irish Ale make you glad you stopped in.
We then headed over to the Common, which was packed with people taking in the beautiful summer day. Kev and I have always made walks a part of our times together, and our walk around the Common was another one of those great times of conversation. We then took some time on a bench and spent a while talking about where we are and where we're headed in our lives. Then more walking around the Common, which led us across the street to L. J. Peretti cigar store. Peretti's is the 2nd oldest cigar store in the US, in business since 1870. For those of you who know Nat Sherman in NYC, the day Nat opened for business in 1930, Peretti's had already been operating for 60 years.
Some enjoyment was had at Peretti's, then we moved back into the Common, after which we took in a bit of the freedom trail. I've always loved Park Church right off the Common, as well as walking through Granary Cemetery next door. Reading both the names and the dates of birth and death on the tombstones always reminds me that Boston is very much the seat of our nation's history.
We came across the tombstone of Robert Trent Paine, and the inscription on the stone included the fact that he signed the Declaration of Independence. Not exactly something you run across every day. As many who know me well, I'm not someone who focuses on tradition, on making sure things stay the way they've been and are. Some may think that means I don't care about or respect history, which is not true. While the future is what interests me the most, history is important to me and I'm very respectful of the people and events who have helped shape where we find ourselves today.
Some more walking around, more conversation, and then it was time for me to head back to the train station. Only 6 hours with my buddy, but I was very grateful for even part of a day together. Looking forward to our next time together, looking forward to seeing Boston again, hopefully soon. Now back to NYC.
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