A Morning Walk

Today, I walked a mile and a half.  It's truly a miracle, considering I couldn't walk 200 steps without a cane only a few weeks ago. 

I didn't mean to go quite as far as I did.  I misjudged how far the trail would take me.  I took two stops to rest on benches placed just where I needed them.

I giggled a little, and I felt like crying at one point.  I dropped my precious smartphone once (once a day this week).  I once again thought I lost my phone while talking on it.  But the meds aren't making me as silly as earlier in the week - and my husband is going to drive me to get a lower dose to see if that works out better. 

I haven't been able to work on either of my novels this week.  I don't feel clear enough to work on it without messing it up.  I'm having a hard time thinking about it.  My mind is too fuzzy.

But while I walk, I have been paying attention - to the color of the leaves, the texture of the flowers, and the way the air smells in the shade and in the burning hot sun.  I pay attention to the way the people say hello in my middle class neighborhood, but are more stand-offish in the higher priced neighborhood surrounding the lake. 

I am very aware of the irony of the twenty or so docked pontoon boats around the lake and how they are never ever launched - the lake is too small.  The owners of these boats may as well walk to their neighbor's house on the trail that lines the lake instead of getting in their boat and driving there.  I don't see how you could use such large boats on a small lake.  Maybe they are just status symbols, or maybe very expensive decorations.  The lake is very pretty, and the boats somehow do make it more relaxing.  I have pictures...I'll post them later. 

I have lived in this community for 12 years and have never once seen a boat on the lake except the ones tied to docks.  I wonder how they would get the boats out, and how they got them in.  There's no boat ramp that I'm aware of - maybe I need to walk farther to find it. 

The lake is exactly three miles around and about a quarter of a mile from my house.  So walking around it from my house would involve walking 3.5 miles.  That's my goal.  If it takes me a year to get there, then it will take me a year and I will celebrate it. 

Today I celebrate the miracle of walking a mile and a half.  I would love to go out to celebrate, but the meds are making me sleepy.  Instead, I will nap.