Morning Walk

Shortly after waking up today, I had one of those rare stretches where I really felt like giving up. It's been a rough year, for all of us, and the last few days have been like one gut punch after another. So I went for another walk in the woods, half thinking that it will either clear my mind or give me a good place for them to find my body (jk; sort of). At any rate, it didn't clear my mind, but I'm still here, so that's something positive, right? Even though it didn't bring me any epiphanies or calming inner peace, it gave me time to think about the thing that always brings me back to who I am: the people I love. I thought about friends and family who are always there for me. I thought about the people who depend on me. I thought about people I know who are dealing with a lot more than I am. I thought about a lot of the good things that are still left in the world, even if some of them are out of my reach right now. Plus, I saw some birds. They were small, and sort of bluish, and they were flitting among the branches of the saplings lining the path as I walked. They were staying a little ahead of me, but still checking me out and pacing me along the trail. I talked to them a little as I walked, and I didn't feel so alone and hopeless anymore. I realized I lived in a world where I could walk among the trees while tiny dinosaurs flitted and chirped all around me, and I decided I still want to keep trying and see how it all plays out…