Thursday, November 13, 2008

Some days I want to keep walking

My morning commute to work is a 3-mile walk.

Today I didn't want to stop walking. I wanted to keep going and just see where the day would've taken me.

The sky was cloudy, the air was on the verge of drizzly, with just the soft touch of a breeze.

These days pick me up in a whirlwind and throw me back in time, right down on the trail somewhere a couple of years ago on a hiking trail. It could be Southern Illinois on the River to River Trail. Or maybe it was on a stormy mountain top above the treeline in Colorado.

If I could just keep walking...

I wonder how far I would get, or how long I would go... before I needed my family, or my friends. I don't know that anything else could really stop me or get me to turn around.

If I could go home, throw on my backpack and just go...

How far could I get? How far would I go?

I wonder where I'd end up setting up my tent tonight?

I wonder where I'd filter water? Or would I come across a convenience store in the late afternoon and fill my water bladder in their bathroom sink?

Would I wake up tomorrow morning to a brisk November frost? Would I start out hiking on crunchy, frozen leaves? Would my breath softly throw a cloud in front of my face at a gentle pace as I cut through the chilly air?

I wish I could just go. I wish one day I could just keep walking and see where it takes me.

It actually hurts my bones to think that I may never have the right circumstances...

It's still a beautiful dream, and thinking about being there puts me at peace, if only for a short while.

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