Where the walking man leadeth...

A few minutes after my wife left for school, she called. Her advice was simple; "do yourself a favor this morning, go for a walk." Although I already felt myself in a semi-productive mode concerning matters of consequence*, or so I liked to think, I went downstairs, put our laundry in the washer, and followed my wife's advice.

I went nowhere specific;  I determined, when I arrived at the first corner, that I would go wherever there was a walking man. So I wandered up and down the streets of our quiet little neighborhood. The wash cycle is twenty-six minutes; I sat a timer on my phone and tucked it away in my jacket pocket. My intention was to be fully and wonderfully present wherever the walking man decided to lead.

I walked first this way, then that way, winding in all directions, humming nothing in particular. The temperature was ideal for a spring morning turn. The breeze was just right, like my wife had said. I noticed squirrels, pigeons, seagulls, and dogs; I smiled at babies, runners, old Jewish men, and tree trimmers. As I continued my meandering, my mind cleared and my body relaxed into the present. A rejuvenation happened with each casual step. 

My wife knows me well. She knows my brain gets stuck in high gear at times and needs a forced slow down. I am grateful to have such a soul in my life that will call me and remind me to come back to the present moment and just be. Sometimes it is in our best interest to stop what we are doing, bring ourselves back, and live intentionally in this very moment. 

*matters of consequence is taken from Le Petit Prince. (do yourself a favor and read it if you haven't) The pilot, who has crashed his plane in the desert, comes across a little prince who is from Asteroid 325.  One day, as the pilot is desperately trying to fix his plane, the little prince keeps asking why roses have thorns. Distracted and frustrated about the plane, the pilot shrugs off the prince's questions by saying he is "very busy with matters of consequence." The little prince chides this "grown up" mindset and questions the pilot's matters of consequence against the real matters of consequence which is, in essence, understanding this world in which we live.