Senses of a Morning Walk

I felt the ever so slight burn in my legs as I lengthened my stride and quickened my pace. I felt my parched throat and wished I had brought along my water bottle.

I felt the uneven sidewalk under my feet and the cool breezes brush my skin.

I saw front lawns brown, brittle, and burned by the summer sun contrasted with those lawns whose owner is blessed with a sprinkler system or lawn service.

I saw the azure brilliance of a cloudless sky and the pale blue subtleness of a robin's eggshell empty on the sidewalk.

I heard the wonder of nature in the cries of the birds, the mysterious crescendos of insects in the trees, and the crickets hiding in the cool morning grass.

I heard the interruption of hedge clippers, hammers, saws, trash trucks, and traffic.

I heard the quickening of my breath the further I walked.

I smelled the occasional stench of the trash truck making its weekly rounds in my neighborhood.

I smelled the otherwise freshness of a new day.

 

I kicked my kids out of the house on this beautiful morning to go run themselves. One had tears in the end. She struggles with running. Despite her own feelings, she did well. Another can't stop running and has gone out a second time. Another brought the jogging stroller out of storage and pushed the little one for a few miles on her run. The day will come soon when they will all be running.

In the meantime, I challenged my little one to watch and listen as her sister pushed. Here is her list of what grabbed her senses.

"I saw and heard smelly trash trucks.

I saw baby pinecones.

I heard a bird moving through the trees.

I wanted to feel a stick, but my sister wouldn't stop."

 

Stop, look, and listen today to what may be some subtle blessings.