A Walk in the Dark

-
I like walking. I used to walk a lot – more than 10Km per day. Now, I’m lucky to get 2 or 3Km in.

The night was cool, crisp and refreshing, without bite or bitterness. I wore a long sleeved shirt, a vest and a light jacket. I really didn’t need the jacket because I don’t think it was below 10C last night, but, since I had it on, I just left it open.

There was a soft undulating breeze, gently teasing me with the fragrant aromas of hardwood fires burning in fireplaces. Smells stimulating comforting and reassuring memories of home and family, of happiness and joy – not unlike the aroma of fresh baked bread in the morning, gently teasing you from a restful slumber with the reassurance that life is a glorious celebration of love, peace and harmony.

The gentle breezes tickled the leaves, caressing them, exciting them, filling the air with cheerful rusting. There is something different about rustling leaves in the Fall. The sound is filled with the mature confidence of a full and well led life – unlike the sounds of Spring which are filled with nervous tittering. Maybe it is the cool crisp air. Maybe it is the dryness of the leaves shedding their vibrant youth for opulent golds, oranges, yellows, and reds - a final burst of majesty before falling and returning to the earth which nourished them through the summer.

It was a short walk – only 4Km, but it was satisfying.

a crispy leaf on the ground
there are leaves all around
‘October Song’, Bif Naked

[edited on 23-October-2005 to provide links to lyrics for 'October Song' and to Bif Naked's page]

Comments

my imperfect offering said…
Oh, what a beautiful walk! Thank you for (virtually) taking us along with you. It sounds like you are having a wonderful weekend. :)
October 23, 2005 8:51 PM
Beth said…
u r so fortunate to be able to have that kind of scenic walk daily. :)

reminded me of the "blue mountains" I been in sydney.
October 24, 2005 1:55 AM
Richard said…
Thank you both. Yes, I had a good weekend, although. my good weekend started earlier by having a wonderful dinner on Thursday with two dear friends I hadn't seen for 1 and 2 years, respectively.
October 24, 2005 8:10 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chinese Wisdom Concerning Money

-
[19September-2007 @ 17:11 EST: Revised preamble. This page still gets the most search hits: There is no Anthony de Croud. The e-mail is SPAM. I post things that pique my fancy at the moment. I like the 8 precepts, but the rest of the e-mail is junk. However, I thought it fair to post everything in its entirety. I did not write the e-mail. I did not forward the e-mail. I strongly encourage you not to forward it either. (I also encourage you to reply to whomever sent you the e-mail and tell them you don't appreciate getting junk mail.)] Received this in our e-mail (English translation follows): PRECEPTO CHINO SOBRE EL DINERO EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UNA CASA, PERO NO UN HOGAR, EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UN RELOJ, PERO NO EL TIEMPO. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UNA CAMA, PERO NO EL SUEÑO. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UN LIBRO, PERO NO EL CONOCIMIENTO. EL DINERO PUEDE PAGAR UN MÉDICO, PERO NO LA SALUD. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UNA POSICIÓN, PERO NO EL RESPETO. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR LA SANGRE, PERO
Read more

Of retirement and death

-
All I long for, all I have longed for for years is to retire (prior to wanting to retire, my ambition was to play). Given a chance not to work, I would take it. However, this is not because of laziness or some inherent trait of sloth. Rather it is because I want to pursue my own interests and ideas; I want to do my own thing. One of the saddest things I find in talking with people about not working (aside from obvious disapproval) is that they like working, they would get bored not working, after all, there is only so much TV one can watch. Hmmm ... a pretty sad comment I think. I have a mind full of ideas. There are lots of things which grab my interest, which distract me as I journey through life. Finding what I want to do is hard., because every week I can have a new thing I want to pursue. Some might argue that I am not disciplined. Definitely, I am a poor finisher - great starter, but lousy finisher. I believe I have found what my ideal job would be: owning and running an incubato
Read more

Half-and-half

-
Borrowing and modifying an idea from Ingrid , I present 14 bits of information about myself. Seven are real. Seven are false. This is also partially inspired by Carra 's post about weird things about herself. When I was into model rocketry, I used to roll my own rocket engines and make my own rocket fuel. I often had "catastrophic" engine failure. I have never been intoxicated. Not even a little bit "happy". I have had the privilege and pleasure of going out with women from every continent except Antarctica (for the obvious reason there are no indigenous Antarcticans). I volunteered one Christmas at a soup kitchen. I naively believed that such simple acts of generosity helped people over temporary setbacks until they could get back on their feet. The reality was these people were pretty wretched and needed far more than a ladled bowl of soup, a slice of turkey, some stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce to get them "over the hump". It was a sta
Read more