I Took A Walk

I've been sitting too much.

Take a walk.

Being in front of my computer this long is killing my back.

So take a walk.

It's not like I'm not being entirely unproductive.

Just take a walk.

This math just isn't clicking.

Take a-

I don't want to bother getting up.

I know; take-

I want to finish this first.

You aren't doing anything. Listen to me, I am the voice of common sense. Go. Take. A. Walk.

I don't want to walk down this hallway, go down these stairs, put on my shoes, walk out this door...

TAKE A WALK.

I am.

Good.

Is that familiar to you.....even slightly? :) After having this conversation with myself, I decided to circle the block using the short rout.....I went 3 times and stayed outside for well over half an hour. I love taking walks; want to know why I enjoyed this one so much?

It was half-past twelve and the day was gray. No, let me reword that. The sky was a dome of white, blue and gray marble. The occasional cold speck of rain that ticked my forehead and eyelids was barely noticeable, only ghost reminders of a wet morning. Earlier the top of the mailbox was covered with these drops like bubble wrap. It was beautiful.

Brown stains and puddles stretched along the gray cement. I was walking in the curb. That small dip on the side of the road held treasures of dead leaves, sand, small rocks and the occasional soggy pine cone. I always look out for nice pieces of quartz at my feet. One time I found half a key, another, a lovely metal button with an engraved design. You never know what you might find, and all of this was just at my feet.....

I like the peaceful silence of being alone out of doors for a few minutes. I like being the only one making the scratch-scraping noise of walking for a whole stretch of quiet street. I like listening to my favorite bird calls whose liquid sounds make me think of how good cold water is when I'm really thirsty--the moment it stops I want to hear it again so that my ears can drink in more of their music. I can almost taste it on my tongue. 

Two squirrels chased each other in a brief circle before leaving my sight. A pair of mourning doves loitered under a tree in a wood chip bedded garden. The first left at once. I stopped to watch the second one for a bit. He looked so funny: a smooth, tannish-pink colored bird with little round eyes that shone like black rubber. He bobbled his head back and forth as he walked. Then he flew away, too.

So many small details to notice! Ordinary things when focused on can become wonderful. I call it simple complexity; or complex simplicity--depending on what sounds better at the time! I clunked over another rusty storm drain. Then I walked back over the grate again to hear the sound. I'd never noticed the echo deep down in the blackness, ku-thunk. It sounded like a gulp. I suppose even storm drains must swallow!

When I got home again, my cheeks were the color of cold and my glasses half fogged over. I untied my shoes. There is nothing more refreshing than a walk--who cares about the weather? 

A  journey begins with a single step....and often that step is simply getting up. For me, that can be the hardest part. Please don't be lazy like me: take a walk!