My afternoon walks always have a purpose. Buying groceries, business at the bank, my regular visit to the dentist’s office, around the lake, maybe a hair appointment, or just to see the seasonal changes but always to see the city at sidewalk level. There was time when a walk was just a walk. I really didn’t like them much because they had no purpose. Many would disagree. Walking for the sake of walking should be enough. Today my purpose was to get cat food at the Vet Clinic, a 30 minute walk away. It’s along the way that my purpose is filled with autumn leaves, warm sun, a bench to sit on with my book, and an ice cream store.
To get to the Vet Clinic, one street I always walk down is the street where we raised our sons. We were only there for seven years, but I love that street. Many of the houses have been refreshed, an apartment block nestles halfway down the street. Yards are full of plants going dormant and piles of composting leaves tucked over and around tender perennials, the trees are old elms that cover the ground and sidewalk with crisp gold under my feet. My inner child wanted to kick through them but this too mature adult warned of tripping hazards beneath. So I behaved myself and just enjoyed the crunch beneath my steady walk there and back.
“How quick and rushing life can sometimes seem,
when at the same time it’s so slow and sweet and everlasting,”
~ Graham Swift, Tomorrow
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