With Great Sadness, Much Annoyance, and Tongue Firmly in Cheek
I went for a walk this morning along a busy street, making my way to an intersection that ensures me 40 minutes of cardio-vascular exercise but allows me to enjoy the time much more than if I put it on a treadmill with nought but gym walls to stare at.
It was 21 degrees Celsius, the sun was smiling happily, and a light wind was playing with the leaves on the trees.
As I was making my way out to the furthest point, I saw a squirrel run to the edge of the sidewalk just ahead of me. If that happens and I am close enough to them when they do that, I stamp my feet at them and "herd" them back to the safety of the trees or grass behind them, rather than let them run out. This one was too far ahead of me. As I watched, it made its dash out into traffic at just the wrong time. A car passing by struck the poor wee thing and ended its time here. I mourned its passing as I continued on. When I reached the end point, I turned back to return home. Just as I passed the first squirrel lying where it had fallen, a second one darted out, again just too far ahead of me for me to head it off. Before I could even look away, it too had been struck. Both were killed immediately. That could easily be seen. Such tiny, defenseless lives, so suddenly ended. It felt so wrong for their passage to eternity to go unmarked. I stopped, spread my hands wide, and asked the great life force to receive these little bits of life back unto itself; to let them be at peace in oneness with it. Then I walked away.
As I continued along the sidewalk, the wind tasted a tear on my cheek and decided it would see what it could do to lighten the mood. It seemed suddenly to discover that my hair was loose. My usual habit is to have my shoulder-length hair pulled back but today, on a whim, I had decided to leave it swinging free. I enjoy the feeling of its movement across my shoulders and neck, especially on a day like today when I was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt that let me feel it on my skin.
The wind began to twine its fingers in my hair and lift some it, pushing it back from my face on moment and draping it across my eyes the next. I felt wonderful and I smiled with pleasure of it. It was in that frame of mind that I rounded a bend in the walk and found myself facing a group of five Muslim women, each one veiled against the stares of men and the play of the wind. I smiled at them and said "Good morning" as I neared them. Each one of them looked down to the sidewalk and not one of them smiled or said anything in return. Even if they did not understand my words, they understood my smile. Smiles are universal.
I am sure it would be nothing but annoying to know the reason why every one of them felt it proper and right to spurn my friendly greeting.
When I was coming down the final stretch of my morning constitutional, I approached a tree I had passed on the way out. While I had been further along in my walk, someone had bicycled to the tree and left their bicycle locked to it. Smart rider, thought I. Even though it is not mercilessly hot today, parked vehicles can still build up a lot of heat as they sit through the hours until their owner's return. Thought I to myself, this person, by parking their bike in the shade of that tree, has written themselves a guarantee that their bike will be nice and cool when they return to it.
As I walked past the bike, I laughed out loud. What's the good of a little humour if there's no-one to laugh at it?
It was 21 degrees Celsius, the sun was smiling happily, and a light wind was playing with the leaves on the trees.
As I was making my way out to the furthest point, I saw a squirrel run to the edge of the sidewalk just ahead of me. If that happens and I am close enough to them when they do that, I stamp my feet at them and "herd" them back to the safety of the trees or grass behind them, rather than let them run out. This one was too far ahead of me. As I watched, it made its dash out into traffic at just the wrong time. A car passing by struck the poor wee thing and ended its time here. I mourned its passing as I continued on. When I reached the end point, I turned back to return home. Just as I passed the first squirrel lying where it had fallen, a second one darted out, again just too far ahead of me for me to head it off. Before I could even look away, it too had been struck. Both were killed immediately. That could easily be seen. Such tiny, defenseless lives, so suddenly ended. It felt so wrong for their passage to eternity to go unmarked. I stopped, spread my hands wide, and asked the great life force to receive these little bits of life back unto itself; to let them be at peace in oneness with it. Then I walked away.
As I continued along the sidewalk, the wind tasted a tear on my cheek and decided it would see what it could do to lighten the mood. It seemed suddenly to discover that my hair was loose. My usual habit is to have my shoulder-length hair pulled back but today, on a whim, I had decided to leave it swinging free. I enjoy the feeling of its movement across my shoulders and neck, especially on a day like today when I was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt that let me feel it on my skin.
The wind began to twine its fingers in my hair and lift some it, pushing it back from my face on moment and draping it across my eyes the next. I felt wonderful and I smiled with pleasure of it. It was in that frame of mind that I rounded a bend in the walk and found myself facing a group of five Muslim women, each one veiled against the stares of men and the play of the wind. I smiled at them and said "Good morning" as I neared them. Each one of them looked down to the sidewalk and not one of them smiled or said anything in return. Even if they did not understand my words, they understood my smile. Smiles are universal.
I am sure it would be nothing but annoying to know the reason why every one of them felt it proper and right to spurn my friendly greeting.
When I was coming down the final stretch of my morning constitutional, I approached a tree I had passed on the way out. While I had been further along in my walk, someone had bicycled to the tree and left their bicycle locked to it. Smart rider, thought I. Even though it is not mercilessly hot today, parked vehicles can still build up a lot of heat as they sit through the hours until their owner's return. Thought I to myself, this person, by parking their bike in the shade of that tree, has written themselves a guarantee that their bike will be nice and cool when they return to it.
As I walked past the bike, I laughed out loud. What's the good of a little humour if there's no-one to laugh at it?
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