Wednesday morning I received one of those phone calls that set your world spinning. I was on a plane and on my way to Florida within three hours, and spent the next twenty four hours on high alert. Finally at the end of a very long day on Thursday, I sensed that order was being restored, and I could stop, take a breath and relax. So after one of my all time favorite dinners, hamburgers on the grill and sweet potato fries, I felt my body calling out for a little physical exertion. I needed to burn off some dinner, and some stress. I invited my Mom and my daughter to join me, and we set out for an evening walk.
My mother is fortunate to be surrounded by an array of walking trails that weave in and around her neighborhood through thickets of moss covered trees and palmetto plants. It is the perfect place to simply walk or run your troubles away, and that evening I enjoyed walking and chatting sandwiched between my loved ones. I felt some of the stress of the day ease away, and I knew that this would not be the last walk I would take. I had found a healthy escape and I planned to take advantage of it.
So Friday afternoon while my Mom worked and my daughter napped, I decided I would treat myself to another brisk walk around the paths. For some reason I had a scene from Forrest Gump on my mind. "
That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road, and when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. Now I figured since I'd run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama.... I figured since I'd gone this far I might as well just turn back and keep right on going."
I felt a little like Forrest Gump, as I walked along the paths, soaking in the sun and my surroundings; I just wanted to keep walking. I knew that life would call me back, but for a short time I could simply lose myself in the beauty of the day, the whisper of the trees, and the physicality of my actions. As I rounded the last last curve of the trail leading back to my Mom's house, I glanced down to see a chalk drawing. My mother had seen the drawing the day before, but somehow I had missed it. "Everything is good now" it said. And I thought to myself, it was, at that moment, at the end of my walk.
My mother is fortunate to be surrounded by an array of walking trails that weave in and around her neighborhood through thickets of moss covered trees and palmetto plants. It is the perfect place to simply walk or run your troubles away, and that evening I enjoyed walking and chatting sandwiched between my loved ones. I felt some of the stress of the day ease away, and I knew that this would not be the last walk I would take. I had found a healthy escape and I planned to take advantage of it.
So Friday afternoon while my Mom worked and my daughter napped, I decided I would treat myself to another brisk walk around the paths. For some reason I had a scene from Forrest Gump on my mind. "That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road, and when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. Now I figured since I'd run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama.... I figured since I'd gone this far I might as well just turn back and keep right on going." 
I felt a little like Forrest Gump, as I walked along the paths, soaking in the sun and my surroundings; I just wanted to keep walking. I knew that life would call me back, but for a short time I could simply lose myself in the beauty of the day, the whisper of the trees, and the physicality of my actions. As I rounded the last last curve of the trail leading back to my Mom's house, I glanced down to see a chalk drawing. My mother had seen the drawing the day before, but somehow I had missed it. "Everything is good now" it said. And I thought to myself, it was, at that moment, at the end of my walk.
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