Day 1: June 21, 2021

Dear @jstallz @intrinsicpaths

Thank you for encouraging me to move, to go out and walk, to listen to what the trees, the skies, the grounds have to say, to infuse my body with movement. It was a short one- just around the two blocks that encompasses our building…19 minutes, 38 seconds…1967 steps… just under a mile— .84 miles. First thing was the shock of fresh air, recently washed by rain… cool dampness sent shivers up my arm, and soothed my hot head aching with another headache. Silence- no one up and about but me (it WAS 5:30 in the morning after all!), sounds of my breathing and feet lazily slapping the pavement. Beautiful sunrise to the east, slight breezes thwumping in my hearing aid’s microphone as I pick up speed. Details coming into focus, slowing down to take pictures- raindrops on soaked leaves, bringing out their rich colors… over there, someone had balanced stones on top of a boulder planted on top of the pavement… looking up- moody skies backdrop the heavily clouded Rocky Mountains… the smell of mysteries rising from the damp earth. I start to recite Psalm 100– “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness, come before Him singing with praise. Acknowledge that the Lord is God for He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the flock of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving…” Breathing deeply, in and out, in and out, feeling my skin goosebump in the air. Everything is so lush and green. Rounding the corner to a vacant lot of an abandoned build site. Poured foundation- I know it’s there but I don’t see it- nature has taken over: wildflowers mixed with wild grasses and hardy dandelions. Tiny purple blooms pushing through the asphalt, covering up abandoned electrical pillars once meant to connect the unbuilt homes to The Grid. Sun is coming up, lighting up a school in the distance with a warm fire, a glowing spot in the midst of the soft vibrancy of nature- needing to grow, needing to be free, stubbornly, persistently declaring her right to be. Beauty in all of that. A few more deep breathes of clean air… I’m back inside of my four walls, tainted by the smell of people’s smoking.

#walking #walkingtherapy #walkingalone #selfcare

~Tinooseus!