Tonight I took a walk. As any of those who went outside this evening will know, it pissed rain. My original intent was to just get a breather from the stress of assignments at this point in the semester. However, what I received was more of a full body cleansing. I was outside for about half an hour, without a rain jacket or umbrella...not like they would have done much good with the torrent that took place. Its interesting how physical ordeals can leave you feeling refreshed and clean, with a new perspective on things. When I got back to my room, the feeling slowly returned to my numb and cold extremities. I went to work on the essay which was the original "final straw" that drove me outside. I found that everything fell into place and was finished within the hour.
Physical cleansing seems like a good enough reason in itself to go for a walk. Despite the shortness of my outing, I caught a glimpse of the positive aspects of a pilgrimage. The benefits come after you're finished. After the ordeal is complete you are left feeling new and somehow lighter.
At least that's how I felt.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to read about your self-directed walks, how you find cleansing, and bliss, knowledge of the texture of things, and deer! I hope the blog will continue to be an outlet for these investigations and your thoughtful reflections on them. Looking forward to seeing your reading response and future research/images/links etc. here,
all toward a great blog I'd read even if I didn't have to!
Diane