The Rules Don’t Apply To You

I love walking.

I walk everyday. Snow, sleet, rain, wind, cold, anything except extreme heat, which my furry friend struggles with.

I walk religiously, like a monk, each step a sacred pilgrimage through the intricate labyrinth of my own mindfulness, each walk a new meditation, and another opportunity for new discoveries.

This morning I discovered a new flower that has just begun blooming.

Each day I walk the same path, or some slight variation of this path, once in the morning and once in the early evening. The path begins in North End City Park winding its way along and over Richland Creek, past the water treatment plant, and into a chunk of wooded and undeveloped city property.

The total length of this walk, from North End Park past the water treatment plant and through the woods over to 161, there and back, is 2.3 miles.

I need to walk. I am compelled to walk. If I don’t walk, I get restless in body and mind.

It is not hyperbole to say walking is like a religion to me. Walking is an opportunity for me to reflect, to think about things, to listen to my inner dialogue, to…