Winter walk

I was feeling a bit unsettled today, I had way too much on my mind and I wasn’t getting anything done. With Brian’s entry still fresh in my mind, I decided to go out for a walk to search out some time and silence in my usually hectic day. It looked sunny and gorgeous from inside the house, why not go out and enjoy it for a bit? I didn’t really have much of a plan as far as where I was going to go, or what I would contemplate on my brief journey, but it became clear to me as I continued on. I saw the above family at a nearby schoolyard, the two kids were so thrilled to be outside and to be unleashed in the safety of the park. Its funny how easily that excitement is lost with age. But just seeing how happy it made them put a smile on my face.

I decided to just soak everything in around me. I know the area all too well, as it used to be my stomping grounds when I was a kid. I meandered through the forest preserve that I used to rampage through on my bicycle. Everything was very grey as winter had strangled most signs of life with its frozen grip.

But with the sun beating down on me, I could feel that Spring was just around the corner. Sure enough, I could make out little green plants poking their way up through the dead leaves. I noticed, for the first time, that there are no evergreen trees in the forest preserve. It fascinated me that in all the time that I have lived here, it was something that I never noticed – as if I never had time to see what is actually around me. I started to look at my surroundings with a different eye. Just because things appear grey and lifeless does not mean there is no beauty to be found.

Those dead leaves have held on all winter, and illuminated by the afternoon sun, they have found new life. I too found myself illuminated by the experience and I returned refreshed, once again ready to immerse myself into the chaos of life.