Dear Diary,

Every morning on their days off, my parents and my dog Percy, take a trip to Wolf’s Pond Park. It’s become habitual for them: before breakfast, my dad will attach my dog’s leash and my mom will put on her coat and running shoes, and they’ll make their way. But rather than spend the entire time attached at the hip, they go their separate ways: my mom walking along the path to get her steps in, and my dad at the dog park so that Percy can have his fun. They’re alone but together.
It’s nice to see that long after my sister and I have graduated from outings to the playground, my parents still value Wolf’s Pond Park. After all, it is one of our constants. A family friend lived right in front of the park, so for every visit, we had the park at our disposal. When I was in middle school, I followed my sister with her to the open fields and watched her play volleyball with her friends. And when we got Percy, the park had another use: his personal stomping grounds.

Although I do find it weird that my parents do different things at the park, I appreciate that they’re able to find time to relax amongst the chaos of their busy lives. What started as a short walk to help my mom find strength and recover from COVID has now become a weekly invitation from my dad to do something productive together.