The joy of walking

Something came to me on my walk this morning: I don't walk for exercise.  I know it might be a funny thing to say, given how everywhere you hear about the importance of exercise; but really, I don't walk for exercise.  And maybe that's why I enjoy it so much.   I go out either early in the morning or in the evening after dinner to hear the birds sing, feel the breeze on my face, smell the freshness of it all, and be alone with my thoughts.  Sometimes I wish I had someone to share all this wonderfulness with; other times I am happy to just be. 

I try to take a walk every day.  The weather has been so conducive to being outside lately that I feel I just have to get out and enjoy it.  Some might say it's been too cool, but I like it this way.  Some might say it's been too rainy, but there is nothing like the sweet smell of damp earth after a rain shower.  Some might say what's so great about walking... aaaahhh, if only they knew what I know.  The sights, sounds, and smells I encounter on my walks are so powerful.  Just to hear the birds sing to their heart's content... the cheep! cheep! cheep! of the robins, the jay! jay! of the blue jays, the red-winged blackbirds calling out and answering each other, the strident call of the cardinals and so many more that just make the air vibrate.  And then there are the bunny rabbits that abound in my neighbourhood, such a sweet sight.

And when I encounter something as precious as this, how I can help but feel that all is right with the world?