Worth It

Some days, you absolutely have to take a little extra trouble to do something right.  This morning, I found that I just could not face another walk around the neighborhood, so Banks and I got in the car and drove down to the lake.  The hell with the added 20 minutes or so, and the dirt Banks tracks into the car. I sound like a broken record, but honestly, I will never take for granted the beauty of that trail first thing in the morning.  Today was cool and the trail was even cooler.  The mist off the water gave the trees a flocked appearance, like Christmas trees.  That, and the mild fog around them made the woods seem ghostly and enchanted. 

About 45 minutes or an hour into it, the sun is rising, foot traffic picks up, the rowers hit the water, with the megaphone guy yelling orders or encouragement (I can never tell which); the ducks start quacking, the boot camp groups start running en masse....it feeds my soul in a way that a workmanlike march up and down South Congress simply cannot.  And many, many times during those walks, I find myself saying, Thank you.  Thank you for this city that I love. And for my healthy children, and my eyesight, and my job, for hot and cold running water, for the Internet, for strong coffee in the morning, and every other wonderful thing that I take for granted most of the time.  It is a beautiful and soul-nourishing way to start the day.

With that taken care of, my lunch hour was free and I was able to run down to Central Presbyterian, the 137-year-old church a few blocks away where my friend Jan was performing her favorite Gilbert and Sullivan pieces for their Thursday free concert series.

And after work, it's back to knitting class.  I keep reminding myself, it's only knitting....no one is going to die.