Instead of a list of things I appreciate today, I am going to tell the story of my walk-around-the-block adventure, all the components of which I appreciated. 🙂 It doesn’t sound like it, but it is a LONG story. 😉

I haven’t been sleeping great the past few nights, so I wanted to be sure to get out for a walk today. I wasn’t sure how long a walk I’d take – maybe just around the block. But the weather today was my very favorite kind of weather – sunny, warm, breezy, brilliant, so once I got outside, I thought I’d go just a little farther, maybe to the coffee shop. Nah, I wasn’t really in the mood for coffee. It sure felt nice being out in the sun. Maybe I’d just keep walking toward the lake…

Every couple blocks I’d think about turning back, not sure if I’d have the energy for the walk home if I went too far. Each time I decided to keep walking. 🙂 I was enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face, all the pretty little flowers along the sidewalk (I love the shape of these purple ones!), grasshoppers leaping across my path, but I was also still in work mode, planning mode, thinking mode. I wanted to be in the moment, to really take things in during my walk, but somehow couldn’t quite make the shift.

Once I got to the lake, I wanted to find a spot to sit in the sun, so I kept heading west (and was feeling so glad my little heart was up to it. Thank you, heart!) until I found a little grassy spot, no longer wet from last night’s rain, right on the edge of the lake. Mmmmmm. I took off my sweater (black is hot in the sunlight!) and sandals and closed my eyes. When there were no cars going by, it sounded and felt just like it does sitting up on the North Shore – the sound of wind blowing through the leaves, sunlight kissing my bare skin. Mmmmm.

I don’t know long I sat there, but long enough that there was a shift. Aha! Here I am in this moment. Oh, hello! Yum.

I put my sandals back on and wandered over to the Rose Gardens. What a heavenly smell! Beautiful roses still harboring a raindrop despite the sun’s sunniness! And the grass looked so inviting – back off with the sandals. Oh, walking barefoot! So many textures – silky, cool grass, warm concrete and brick walkways, sharp pebbly areas. How wonderful to feel all of that!

I made lots of stops (my heart and I worked out a little schedule), each of which was perfect in some way or ‘nother. Sitting by the fountains and being surprised by the sharp coldness of the spray as it blew onto me, walking through the low hanging branches of the trees to sit on a bench on the hill. Perfect.

Finally, it was time to head home. Off I go – a different route this time, because it’s so fun to see new parts of my neighborhood. I’d walked maybe 5 or 10 minutes from my last stop and wanted to throw away the gum I’d been chewing… but, uh oh! Where’s my purse? I had my sandals and my phone in my hand, but not my purse. I knew I’d taken it with me when I left the lake — but didn’t know where after that I’d left it. Would I have enough energy to retrace all those steps – and still eventually get myself back home?? I turned around and walked (quickly now) back toward the Rose Gardens… and was delighted to find my little red purse sitting right there, under the bench at the last place I’d stopped. Yay! I didn’t have to retrace too many of those steps, after all. Phew! 🙂

On the way home, I noticed how funny it is that one moment it sounds just like the city – cars, planes, kids’ voices from the playground – and then I’d turn a corner and it’d be quiet with only the sound of the wind and the insects breaking the silence. Not so many bird sounds this time of year, but lots and lots of insects droning, buzzing, chirping, singing. I never noticed that before!

I walked along, having fun smiling at people and saying hello as I passed. Some people are so surprised by that! Hahaha! As I got within a block or two of my house, I noticed that my mind kept jumping to the next things to do (lunch and back to work) and planning the rest of my day. I laughed as I reminded myself that there would be time for doing, but that I was busy being right now. Silly ol’ brain. 😉

It was a very good walk.