The Walk
I don’t know when I turned into a nature lover, per se. It just sort of happened. These days, there’s rarely a day that goes by when I don’t spend some time outdoors. Most days, I drive 20 min from my home to a nearby trail that’s nice and quiet, where I can get in a run or walk. Today, was a “rest” day (aka a “walk” day). I chuckle at my walk days a little. I naturally walk fast. I’m not a stroll-on-down-the-lane kind of walker. I walk like I’m on a mission and have somewhere to be. Even when I don’t! It makes my husband laugh, and my kids don’t want to walk with me. I can’t blame them for that I guess.
I think I inherited my need for walking fast from my dad. One of my earliest memories with my dad is of an evening walk he let me join. I couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old. He wanted to get in a little exercise and I wanted to join him. He told me I could come, but didn’t think my little legs would be able to keep up. I was determined to prove him wrong. Of course, while he walked, I practically had to run to match his pace. My dad had long strides and he wasn’t about to slow down for me! I remember thinking it was so much fun being out there in the evening air, having one-on-one time with my dad. I am one of 11 children, so time alone with a parent was nearly unheard of! I wasn’t going to show weakness, so I could hopefully tag along again sometime.
At some point in our walk, I needed to slow down. I had to think of a way to get my dad to slow down on his own! I remembered how much my dad liked the stars and planets, so I saw an opportunity to get him talking. I asked him about one of the constellations in the sky and asked him to point it out. Of course, he stopped and proceeded to tell me about all the ways to find the North Star. He pointed it out and had me find it on my own. The rest of the walk home was filled with conversations about the stars, planets, and the way God created our universe so perfectly. We stopped every so often as he pointed out a new constellation and had me try to figure out what it was. To this day, I love looking up at the stars. I don’t think my dad knew that my questions were simply a tactic to get him to slow down. Or perhaps he did know…
That simple walk is a cherished memory with my dad. I don’t have too many of those memories. I love to walk, I love to star gaze, and I love quiet moments to reflect. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to need that time to walk. To be mindful. To be present. Even if I do walk a little too fast…