The Path

When in doubt, go for a walk.

It's so easy for me to get caught up in the stress of daily life and forget how simple and beautiful things really are. My life can seem so fast paced and it's easy to be overwhelmed by the many commitments I've found myself tied up in. The following is a little narrative describing an evening in the town I've spent most of my days for the past 3 years. I did something that I rarely ever do: went for a walk. 

After a day filled with rain, the air felt crisp and clean, and as the sunlight cut through it the world seemed to be alive with life. It was the kind of air your lungs can't get enough of. The sun sank low in the sky, and a fleet of clouds floated by like old wooden ships with their great white sails billowing in the wind. Refreshment swept over me as the cool wind blew gently against my body, leaving no trace of the sweltering heat that had lingered for so long. 

This was a day meant for me. It was all mine, and I felt a sense of calm that I had not allowed myself to feel for weeks. I wasn't alone, and Rosco's company gave me the perfect excuse to get outside and take advantage of the beautiful weather. The ninety-pound Rottweiler stayed by my side, his short tail wagging back and forth and his curious, puppy nose never stopped investigating the unfamiliar smells he found along the way. 

When you've lived in a town for a decent amount of time, its easy to fall into a certain way of doing things. Reality begins to blend and it's easy to isolate yourself from your surroundings and focus on daily tasks and responsibilities, or stress that hasn't been released. In a small town like Lawrence, KS it's more than easy. As you drive through the streets, there isn't enough time to really see the beauty that surrounds you, and you can't realize how much you take for granted until you give it the time of day.

We started down a path that has become one of my favorites. A path I thought I knew well before we went down it, but I'd never seen it on a day like this. The dirt road, usually dry and dusty but now made soft and clean by the rain, spiraled up the backside of a hill through a thick patch of evergreen trees. Their scent was rich from fresh moisture and their thick needles muffled the droning hum of cars in the distance. For a few minutes this place transported us to the wilderness of Colorado, on an adventure up a mountain trail.

Along the way, patches of beautiful yellow wild flowers seemed to spring up randomly, glowing radiantly as they caught the low angled light of the sun. Through a gap in the trees I saw an entire field of them, swaying softly in the breeze, and I made a mental note of its location so I could go back at another time and see them up close.

At the top of the hill, as the trees began to break, the path opened and to our right I spotted what looked like a small meadow, nestled in a small alcove of trees.

INCOMPLETE***