Not an Obligation but a Celebration!

Are you a dog owner? If you are than you know that taking at least 2 walks a day is the standard of care. Dog owners are more consistent than the Post Office Deliver guys and gals. We walk in the rain, sun, snow, sleet, and fog. We walk in the blizzard, hurricane winds and blistery heat. I don’t always look forward to my daily walks but I always feel good when I return. I just got home from my morning walk with Fenway and she is passed out on her bed. I am reflecting on the emotions raised by this simple morning walk that often feels like an obligation I need to complete before I get on to the important tasks of the day.

This morning while out for a walk, I got to see what Mother Nature had to share with me in the wild suburbs I call home. The calendar may say it is April and the season is spring but it is flurrying and the temperature is in the 30’s! Ah, life in the Finger Lakes of Central, New York!

So we headed out the back door, got to the end of our street and turned left on the main drag. After we walked about 700 feet, Fenway stops to sniff and take care of business. I pull the hood of my sweatshirt up and then the hood to my coat. Never mind that my winter hat is on my head, it is cold out here! So anyway, Fenway is doing her thing and I turned around to see a deer standing not 15 feet behind me in the middle of the road! We stared at each other for a minute and she continued to stroll across the street, she breaks into a run and disappears into someone’s yard. This triggered a funny memory of an earlier walk when I realized we were being watched by about 8 deer, all standing eerily still in the fog.

We continued our walk, crossing back over the main drag, past the Nature Trail and into the new housing development. I know, I know, who chooses to walk through a housing development instead of the trail? Well the housing development put up poopy bag disposal bins and that beats carrying her business for the rest of my walk! It is 7AM on a Sunday and the only other person I layed eyes on is out walking her dog too!

So I ditched the poopy bag and kept on walking, figuring I was about 1/2 way through with this morning obligation. I hear a single goose cackling overhead and then several more. I was reminded of another walk over 3 years ago with the familiar “V” shaped flock of geese overhead that gave me the wisdom to understand that within order there can be chaos. This AHA moment gave me the courage to launch this blog even though it wasn’t more than a bunch of disjointed ideas and the desire to share my thoughts on health, wealth and happiness to anyone who wanted to spare a few minutes with me each week.

I smiled to myself and kept on walking as the rain was coming down a bit harder. I took a left at the end of the road and then another left back on to the main drag. I am almost home when I hear the familiar song of a cardinal. I spot one in a tree and another whooshes by me in a flash of red. I immediately think of my loved ones who have passed away including Papa Jack, Child #4 and his wife, my 40 year old cousin, two close friends and the only young man to ever get away with calling me “Daddy”. I spot one more cardinal on the telephone pole in front of my house, smile again and open my door. I see cardinals and am reminded of my deceased loved ones quite often on my daily walks. 

My morning walks should never feel like an obligation or something to hurry up and get done with so I can get to more meaningful activities. I walked just over 1 mile in the cold and rain. I enjoyed memories of other walks with my favorite pup, I experienced joy, happiness, gratitude and comfort. Life is pretty damn good in My Little Blue Kayak! Pretty damn good!

Synonyms for obligation include burden, charge, commitment, duty, and responsibility. If I keep my eyes, ears and heart open, my daily walks are not an obligation but a celebration to be savored. Hmm, I wonder what else is not an obligation?