An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. – Henry David Thoreau
The idea of Japanese walking is to alternate between slow and fast walking in 3 minute intervals. Today was the day for me to take a walk to the beach.
A solo walk, as MAO is recovering from the procedure he had last week. The walk through our neighborhood to the beach is always a delight. Today the mango trees are laden with ripening fruit. The homes have beautiful tropical plants and the birdsong of mourning doves, northern mockingbirds, grackles and crows are my soundtrack.
Once at the beach, I am reminded of the difficulty in walking in the sand – especially fast walking. The gulf roars with waves. So loud in fact, that I could not hear my 3 minute timer go off.
Passing individuals on the beach stretch of my walk, I would greet them with a “good morning”. Each one had their unique response and return greeting. And then there is the second encounter on the return to my entry point. Generally the second encounter has no verbal greeting.
One individual stood out. When I first encountered the young woman, her face was lit up with a big smile as she said good morning to me. As I was approaching her on the return walk, I could see from 10 feet away that she had the same big smile I saw 20 minutes prior. What a delight to see her joy.
Grateful today for
starting the day with a walk – 3.8 miles,
the nature encountered along the way,
and for the joy that comes from seeing another’s joy.
