I have started walking again. It isn’t as much as I used to walk, which was about 3-6 miles a day. Things change, or I should say I have changed and so has life. We take so much for granted, yet it is always there.
I love walking later in the day – towards dusk. The cooler temperatures, the setting of the sun, the stillness on the roads. I have been walking in my little hometown among the neighborhoods. What I have realized is that I miss walking in the country. Right now it is pretty quiet as the farmers have yet to start harvesting and the road that leads to out of town is under construction.
The biggest reason I miss walking out of town is that I miss my walking buddy. She loved going with me every day. Sometimes we would go in the mornings and sometimes in the early evenings. She knew exactly what to expect when I brought out the leash and said we were going for a walk.
She has been gone for over 15 years and I still get tears in my eyes when I think of her. Posha was my dog – my companion, and protector. She loved to run in the ditches when we would head out of town. I never worried about her popping up over the road into traffic. She was head down, sniffing out, running right with me.
Our walks would take us around the mile sections. The changes in scenery were subtle, yet significant enough to see them. The colors – even green has many shades – would tell you what part of the year it was. Spring and fall have that distinct smell. I love the smell of the turned earth in the spring when you knew the days would be getting longer and warmer. Fall has the scent of football games, fires, and road trips. What more could you ask for?
Winter cripsness bring back childhood fun – snowforts, sledding, and angels. Summer smells of freedom, long lazy days, cut grass, chlorine. You cannot forget where you came from.
When I walk and flood my senses with smell, I am reminded of everything I did, saw, and lived before now. Walking is a true meditation in life. It frees me from worries and opportunities and helps me figure out the next steps. it is the piece of my puzzle that I have lost and now found its right place to complete the picture.
What do you do when you need to right yourself with the life you have created? do you walk, participate in a hobby, journal, or do you simply sit and meditate alone? I do all these, however, walking is by far the best therapy for me. I would love to hear from you .
God bless.