Im without my car and its difficult but I walk instead, and its far to my job, seven miles one way. It takes longer to walk to and from than my actual shift is long but, I observed some things today that I would not have if I had been driving as usual. Sometimes we need to be nudged away from our routine in order to grow. Along the way in the hot sun I discovered that if you get off of the concrete you must walk in the neglected overgrown grasses of the roads shoulder. It is teeming with trash that has taken flight from garbage trucks and littered with innumerable objects tossed nonchallantly from automobiles as though it was confetti on New Years Eve. Its sad. But you can decide to look at the scape with a different perspective and when you do, in the moments when, however brief, there are few vehicles, you can hear the crickets. Look closely and you will see dainty numerous flowers, some whose blossoms are no bigger than ladybugs. And as you go shuffling through the grasses your steps flush out the tiniest of butterflies by the dozens, in colors of periwinkle, orange, and brighter than sunshine yellow. In the ditches are living things who skitter to hide as you come close to what is home for them. Tall cattails in soupy groups show off their velvety brown wrappings and are no longer in danger of being used as an additive to strengthen the mortar once made for chinking the fireplaces and walls of pioneer cabins, as they once were plentiful but now, not so many of them exist to stand gracefully at attention. You can have an over the top view of train tracks and pause to wonder about the track of life you are on right now. Where are you going and who really deserves to go with you? See the aged print from a childs shoe laid in a sidewalk from long ago, place yours beside it and contemplate your own youth. Who was that child anyway? Who did you become? Did you keep all the best parts of you? You can reach out and feel a guard rail with your fingers softly and sense its temperature instead of being slammed into it with a car, and then notice the prairie flower called Indian Blanket that hugs tight the wooden post of the rail, shuddering as every car whips by. You can choose to think about the fire ants, cigarette butts, used diapers, food wrappers, the unfortunate critters that attempted yet did not succeed at crossing the pavement and other fairly obnoxious distractions or, you can choose to appreciate that amongst the threat of being trampled, disrespected, and choking on noxious and continuous exhaust fumes you can find beauty, innocence and sweet sensations fighting to survive, either blissfully unaware of the battle or refusing to be subdued by it. You can choose to be happy. Independance Day indeed.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 03:14:31 +0000
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