Tonight I got the urge to walk to the corner store, the foggy mist was low and sky was getting dark, a beautiful night for a brisk wet stroll. I grew up without a car in my family, both my grandparents, who raised me, were relatively old and never had a need for a vehicle. So for me, that meant anywhere that I needed to go I had to walk, I didn’t complain either it was no big deal.
Anyway, usually when I resort to walking these days it has a tendency to bring back old memories of my ventures when I was a young boy. My walks to a friends house, those nights coming home from a school dance, and my adventures to the wooded areas behind my house are some of the memories that would come flashing back.
It’s funny how familiar we get with the paths we choose to get us to where we have to go, the rickety old fence, that big crooked tree that looks like its about to fall to the ground with the slightest touch, or maybe it’s an annoying barking dog that just wouldn’t shut up. If you paid close attention I’m sure there are things to this day that you remember from your own journeys. I sometimes would have to hop fences, stopping by the blueberry bushes would almost always distract me for a moment or two, and oh yeah, passing through the broken street light section definitely put a lump in my throat. I knew those paths like the back of my hand, I bet I could still do some of them with my eyes close, well ok, maybe not. The twists and turns I took felt like they were my own, I’m sure many people traversed the same route everyday as well, but I bet they are not writing about them today like I am, hehe.
Walks allow me to clear my head, for that short time you forget about everything, no technology craving your attention, void of all traffic aside from the odd fellow passerby with their dog whose usually in a manic sniff leads the way. Tonight was just me and the sound of my own steps, the air was clean, the leaves sparkled orange as they change with the season, the mist was refreshing with my mind free of any ill thoughts.
Sure, I could of gotten into my car out of the rain, driven to my destination in less than a couple minutes but no, not tonight, why make it so easy and deprive myself of such an experience. I enjoyed that walk, I felt like a young boy again, tempted by the puddles of water, curious of what was glimmering at the trailside just ahead of me, don’t get excited it was only a pop can sticking out from the ground. But a walk can do that, its always an adventure, you never know what you will see or who you will meet.
The next time that you need to clear your head, collect your thoughts, or seek inspiration much like I did, hence this post, take a walk, go on you will thank yourself for it, trust me. A lot like me something like a walk to the convenience store doesn’t really have to be such an inconvenience.
Earth To Ash 