Reinhardt Rose Garden: I Took a Walk

I took a walk today. Normally, I don't, but I saw somewhere you should take about 10,000 steps a day. That's a lot of steps! During a work day, without taking a walk, I doubt I would crack 1,000 steps. Even with a short walk, I'd be lucky to get 5,000. As a matter of fact, my phone tells me that the only time I went over 10,000 was the day I mowed the lawn and worked in the rose garden!

Where to walk? It's all just a bunch of parking lots. There is a an empty field to the back, but that is surrounded by a fence. To the west is interstate 95 and to the south is a wooded area with interesting valley with an old train track at the bottom, but no trail to walk. Finally, its occurred to me that I have never walked north in the parking lot along the fenced in area. I see people walking that way all the time. I was thinking maybe there is something down here to see? I walk as far as a can down the parking lot and though the woods I see a fairly deep valley and some water. Yes, I know this place. I had seen it on a map and from the road it appears as a big grassy hill hiding the valley. This is where the geese like to play. Always new there was some water over there and never cared to look. Seems to be just some type of rain water runoff.

Okay, so I walk through the lot and around a building to the road. Here I stand in front of the big grassy hill. I had seen some county workers walk up there before. For a second I think maybe I'll fall down the valley and die! No one would ever know I walked there! Should I walk up there and take a peek? Just at the top of the hill was a Gateway Goose. The Goose appeared to be guarding something. As I approached a bit closer, the Goose began to squawk and squawk, now I had to walk to the top. I will take that as a welcome greeting.

Finally, I have reached the summit! Here, I scan the horizon and look across the valley and down over the water! Immediately, I feel transported to another place and time! The geese are still squawking, but fading in the distant valley. Small birds fly past over the hill and by my feet! The wind is gusting through the valley brushing back my hair. I stand there concentrating and looking out in the distance with the wind in my face like I'm conjuring up a spell or some miracle is about to happen! This only lasts for a few seconds as one slight movement of my head brings the office building back into focus. For a moment, I think is there a way to walk around the valley? And again I see the buildings calling me. The feeling comes over me that I don't belong here anymore. This place is for the geese and that squawk was no welcome. This is where the geese play.

I'm sure this place was not so great, but in my daily life of traffic, parking lots, cubicles, phones, computers, and buildings, it felt as though somehow, I discovered paradise for those few seconds. Will probably never feel that way again.

That daily life description? Many of that is the good stuff, I left out the bad and evil things as I continue to amuse and entertain myself to death.