Sturdy Gal Reverie
On Tuesday I walked to the place where I do peer grief counseling. Then I walked home. Wednesday I walked to my Spanish class at the local community center. Then home, with a detour to our neighborhood creek. Yesterday I walked to the dentist, then home; last night my husband and I walked to a restaurant, ate, and then walked home again through the dusk. It was a warm beautiful evening, and everyone was out in the town streets. Groups of kids called to each other from corner to corner, laughing; at table after table along the sidewalk people were eating their dinners.
I don’t count steps, figuring that every one is a good idea. And since I use up a lot of intent simply getting out the door in clothes, shoes, and a good hat, I don’t want to add the burden of any goal beyond “Go.” Once I start, I just put one foot in front of the next until I arrive at wherever I wanted to be.
Sometimes it’s hard going, sometimes almost effortless; sometimes my feet bug me, sometimes I may float a few centimeters above the ground, who knows. On occasion I stay lost in my mind until I return, but most often I pass something or someone who makes joy balloon in my heart out of nowhere. A white flower on a tree, or an old man walking with his hands clasped behind his back. The particular burble of my neighbor’s fountain.
All I mean to say is this morning I am glad I can walk, and here’s a video of a tiny suburban forest for you. Birds sing, a black cat shows up, the train whistles, and light ripples on the creek below.
Resistance
If you find you have some extra funds, this race in Wisconsin could really use them.
Have a wonderful weekend! P.S. I didn’t have to have a root canal and I was as happy about that as I am about the irrepressible refulgence of nature.
