Hipsters, Hippies and a Moroccan Mother's Day (Day Thirteen) | Sojourners

Hipsters, Hippies and a Moroccan Mother's Day (Day Thirteen)

Photo courtesy Christian Piatt
Amy, Christian and Steve (AKA, Indiana Jones) in Tennessee Cove. Photo courtesy Christian Piatt

I’m actually kind of surprised and a little bit proud of myself that I didn’t blog over the weekend. I kind of figured after posting about getting off our hectic schedules to reconnect with our bodies, it would be pretty hypocritical if I didn’t at least try to do the same thing.

Granted, I did post my dumb church signs yesterday, but that doesn’t exactly count.

We’ve been in San Francisco the last couple of days, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. Driving here definitely hikes my blood pressure, but the sights, culture and food makes up for it.

Mostly we’ve continued to walk as much as possible. We’ve covered several miles every day, but my feet are evidence of the change of routine. Several blisters have emerged where there should just be calluses, and my plantar fasciitis decided to rejoin me in my heels after a brief, but welcome, sabbatical.

The first night we found an amazing Thai restaurant in a hipster part of town. In case you aren’t familiar with how to know if you’re in a hipster area, there are some telltale giveaways as you get close. At first, you’ll start figuring by the neighborhood that you’ve probably taken a wrong turn. Then, all of a sudden vacant buildings and drug dealers will give way to an uber-trendy strip in the middle of the decay.

Amy, me and Steve (AKA, Indiana Jones) in Tennessee Cove

That, my friends, is where you’ll find a gaggle of hipsters, planting organic hookah bars and local-vore vegan restaurants in what used to be a communal urinal for passersby. Anyway, the food was awesome, the company eclectic and the walk….adventurous.

The next day we hit the main plaza downtown, followed by a meal on what is billed as a floating island (though come on, let’s be honest – it’s a boat with some dirt on top). We had a great time, all semantic issues aside, especially after a day full of – you guessed it – more walking.

Yesterday we hiked trails around the southwest part of Marin county, ending up after (surprise!) a three-mile hike on a beach in a little spot called Tennessee Cove. Amy was thrilled because, along the way, she found her first-ever Calla Lilies growing in the wild. I enjoyed everything from the coarse, dark sand to the steady, cool breeze. We had walked to the end of the earth, and it was beautiful.

We also covered the requisite Haight-Ashbury area, which was the hippie mecca of the sixties. Today, it’s a strange mashup of old vintage shops, paraphernalia stores and the occasional oddly inserted Nike outlet. we finished the evening with a Moroccan restaurant celebrating Mother's Day in true Middle Eastern fashion. I’ll admit the atmosphere far outweighed the food, but we left satisfied.

Our friends, Amy and Steve, head back to their family in Texas this afternoon, and we point the car north toward Sonoma tomorrow. The kids sent Amy a video greeting card yesterday for Mother's Day (which made her cry, of course), and I sent a guilt-ridden email to my mom after dinner, upon realizing the two-hour time difference meant that I had blown it and my mom was likely already asleep.We’re missing the kids like crazy, but it’s still worth experiencing the gap.

No great theological revelations today. No tear-jerking finale. No big mortal lesson. Just another step in a journey of a lifetime.

Christian Piatt is an author, editor, speaker, musician and spoken word artist. He co-founded Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colorado with his wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, in 2004. Christian is the creator and editor of "Banned Questions About The Bible" and "Banned Questions About Jesus." His new memoir on faith, family and parenting is called "PREGMANCY: A Dad, a Little Dude and a Due Date." For more information about Christian, visitwww.christianpiatt.com, or find him on Twitter or Facebook.