It’s only a 2 mile walk round trip to a major thoroughfare (US HWY 19), but it’s a wondrous journey to and from, especially during “stay-at-home” times. No, I’m not being bad. During these CoVid-19 conditions, Gov. DeSantis says we can venture outside to exercise. Under normal circumstances we do that daily. Today, I walked alone, and documented my world. On Friday, April 3, it was beautiful & mysterious.
When Husband doesn’t walk with me, and he didn’t today, I walk up to an office building on US 19. It’s three stories, so I can build endurance by walking up and down the stairs. It’s also home to my orthopedic surgeon. Seven years ago he recommended a partial knee replacement so that I could keep walking. After the surgery, I visited him here. I also frequented the physical therapy center next door, which used these stairs to help me get back in shape. Its now across the street in a one story building. This place is an ideal place to walk when it’s hot, as it has a water fountain on each floor. It also has bathrooms, one which I used to wash my hands today after touching door handles & banisters. And if you need to see an orthopedic surgeon, try FK&OC.
Today was not hot. I didn’t need the air conditioned building – I just needed the stairs. This morning it was 60°, with low humidity. Outside it was sunny, with puffy white clouds in beautiful blue skies. On the way to my stair stepping activity, I took time to stop & smell the azaleas by a neighbor’s fence & yellow daisies growing wild by a drainage pipe. Neither had much of a scent, but they were lovely to see. Usually when I walk I’m intent on my time & pulse rate, and listening to my audiobook, but today I noticed everything around me.
One of the mysteries I encountered along the way was a building for a PA that has been here for more than 30 years. We don’t recall seeing one or more cars parked here – ever. It only recently acquired the barbed wire fence around the perimeter. Before, I would cut through, picking up trash to deposit in a nearby dumpster. That trash was usually beer cans and food containers. The owner of this building definitely had a trash problem, necessitating the wire & ominous sign. No more shortcuts or garbage picking for me!
Driving to the FK&OC, I neglected to look behind the building. Once parked in front, I’d go inside, and after my appointment, I’d leave, never looking around outside. You might think you were in the country if you saw photographs of its backyard. In fact, if you stop and look at any particular part of my neighborhood, you might forget you are in an unincorporated area of a large city. It’s peaceful & green. Birds sing and squirrels scamper about. Rabbits and deer sometimes come out, foraging for food. Just don’t look around too closely or you’ll see the trash discarded by someone too lazy to find a garbage can.
Walking home, I walked behind the Ace Hardware store, and as I rounded the corner next to the second hand sporting goods store, I spotted this sign above me: “Smile. You’re on Camera.” It’s good to know that my actions are being watched. I hope they are being recorded so that if I fall or get accosted, Husband can request the footage to help me. When I’m throwing trash in the dumpster, which is adjacent to this sign, no one can accuse me of dumpster diving. I’m doing the opposite. And no need to tell me to smile. That’s second nature to me.
Coming and going, this sign perplexed me: “ I found your box.” Since I didn’t lose a box, I know that sign was not meant for me. It intrigued me. What box? Where? How does the box owner contact the sign maker. Is the box valuable? Is it necessary? Or is someone thinking out of the box, and the sign maker wants him or her to get the box back right away to avoid creative, inventive thinking? It’s a sign!
I’m home now. Sitting behind my house, I’m watching the squirrels scavenge the bird seed knocked out of the bird feeder. They can’t climb the pole anymore, so they have to wait for the bluejays to knock the seed out of the feeder. In case you don’t know, bluejays are big and finicky. They make the bird feeder sway when they land, so birdseed gets knocked out. They are also particular about what they eat, and swish out that which doesn’t please them. The squirrels don’t care. They eat anything. So does the bashful rabbit that lives beneath our shed. But they rarely eat at the same time. Squirrels can be intimidating. The other birds are smaller, and simply land and enjoy what is there. I could watch this wildlife show all day, but time is passing. I have a list of “To do today” items that should get done. Time to at least attempt to get some of the items on that list done.
Afterword: It’s not glamorous nor is it usually dangerous to be a writer. Writing is neither quick nor simple – if you are thoughtful, and mind your punctuation and grammar. That explains why I usually read others’ works & don’t do this as often as I’d like. For example, I need to see what’s in the fridge for breakfast – a meal I skipped before my walk – before it’s time for lunch. Dedicated authors sometimes forget to eat and lose track of time. They sequester themselves away, concentrating on intricate plots with multidimensional characters, so that all of us can read ourselves to different places with new people without leaving the comfort of our homes. Or they write opinion pieces, or expose the underpinnings of our world, so we can be motivated to think, or be better informed, knowing that good will triumph – or so I hope. Reading is my passion, and without authors, my life would be empty. So thank you you to you who write AND to you who read. Can’t have one without the other. I’m just a sometimes author, who started writing this over an hour ago, and I’m hungry. And I hear my “to do list” calling.
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing your walk. Remember that to-do lists can be postponed for a good book.
Definitely. Michael’s read 4 books in two weeks. I’m on my 3rd. I also made two on Shutterfly. 😁
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