a walk under the trees

October 2nd. 6:17 pm. Started walking about an hour ago. Walked through well-kept middle class neighborhoods with mostly nice lawns, 1-story houses and oh the trees! I have written about many terrible things in this town, and not much at all about what is good. That is how our minds so often work. We focus on negative things. I am waking up just a little more to the positive things.

When I walk or exercise, my mind is usually very distracted – most often by imaginary conversations with people I do nor do not know in the real world, or in daydreams and conflicts over preferences for things that I cannot afford. Sometimes.. often, I am so distracted that I cannot much enjoy what is around me. All the beauty that is there!

If you go up top of one of our parking garages, 5 stories or so, or a few of our office buildings or hospitals that might go up to 7 floors, and you look out across the city, you will see few houses and other buildings. Mostly, what you will see, for as far as you can see, are TREES!! Many kinds of trees, many different heights, and later in the Fall, many different colors of leaves.

The trees make the town look glorious – a forest – wonderful. In many neighborhoods, I feel this way, even at ground level – if the neighborhoods are kept up. I passed through many areas like this, where there are gorgeous trees, and where conscientious people keep their houses and yards in good repair, well maintained, and clean. Some people do care. You can see it and feel it walking down these streets.

Yes, I was distracted, as usual, in so many ways, but I also noticed – I was aware – of the beauty of nature and the sun shining through the undulating branches and leaves, moving in the breeze. I could hear the sound of the wind in the trees.

To get my mind fully in tune, in harmony with Nature, and what is going around me – that may take awhile, and I don’t know exactly how to do it. But one thing that certainly works, and something I need to do much more frequently, is walk.

I returned home, not only a little more fit due to the exercise, but with my heart – my being – moved, and somewhat healed by my walk today through town under the trees.