Land's End

We went hiking today at Land's End, that marvelous, wind-blasted cliff area overlooking the Pacific and the Golden Gate Bridge; perhaps the best hike within a major U.S. city. The baby was in a frame backpack designed for carrying little ones; strapped in a little too tightly perhaps, but once we got moving, not unhappy with the whole situation, and towards the end of the short (1/2-hour) hike, lulled to sleep by the warmth of my husband's back and the rhythm of his steady gait. I used to live near this marvelous place, and would jog to it from my house, then jog a little ways down the trail, feeling liberated from all cares and responsibilities as soon as I looked out on the Pacific. Today that feeling was replaced by concern for the baby's well-being (his nose grew red from the cold, and the wind was blowing in his face, and my husband came close to the edge of the cliff once and so on and so forth)--I will never feel completely "liberated" any more, perhaps, but to put it bluntly--I'll never want to be.