Walking Meditation

The walk begins. Luna is pulling like a maniac so I stop several times in the driveway to remind her I have the power to stop the whole thing, she complies, somewhat. My hands are cold. It's sunny but cool and I have not brought my gloves, why do I do this. I think about this for awhile and the whole idea of always trying to be prepared for everything. My shoes are wet from yesterday's walk in the rain and my nice dry socks are redistributing the moisture closer to my bare skin. I left the shoes in my bag last night instead of putting them by the heat vent in Mark's dining room. Again shoddy planning. We go along Trethewey toward snow capped mountains, I have brought my new camera but I don't bother trying to capture the mountains they are too far away and the picture won't say what I feel about them. I tell Luna to walk nice every 3 steps. She has no idea what I mean, I say it anyway.

Past the soccer fields in the municipal park I walk along under the power lines and take a few pictures of them. I've taken many pictures of them against the cloudy sky. I don't think about why. I wonder if anyone sees me and wonders why I am taking pictures of high tension power towers. I remind myself I am in Canada and no one cares. I encounter another dog/dog owner who I have encountered earlier on the circuit. His dog has a strange manner I don't like and I step in between him and Luna. The owner tries to assure me his is a good dog. I say the dog is exhibiting strange social behavior. This statement is lost on the dog's owner. He has a piece of rope for a leash.

I am on a mission. I continue on the Discovery Trail away from the playing fields. There are crows everywhere and big puddles, it rained hard yesterday. I put Luna on the leash because the road is near the path and I don't trust her not to run into the road. We go past the Agrifair grounds, there is nothing of interest here for me to take pictures of. I go through the tunnel that allows the Discovery Trail to cross under Trethewey. The street has a different name here, I don't know what it is. I pass two men coming out of the tunnel and think about whether I am safe or not. I think about safety again at the opposite end of the park. I can be a nervous, cautious person.

Through the tunnel Luna rushes an Airedale and tries not to get her butt sniffed. I acknowledge the dogs owner by stating this observation, we pass by without incident. She is faster than this dog. We walk in a westerly direction and I take a few more pictures of the towers, dry grass, and of Luna. It's sunny and the sky is blue, the trees are bare and beautiful and I take pictures of them too. The mountains appear to be even farther away now which is strange because I am closer to them. The pictures of the trees are similar to the pictures I didn't take of the mountains. They don't say how I feel about them. I photograph the baseball diamonds, the towers are in these pictures too, they are everywhere, the path weaves around through them. I like them, I like electricity, I like the lines cutting through the sky in gentle arcs.

I go all the way to where the park ends and discover that the last soccer field is filled with water. A fellow walker comments as he passes what a good skating rink it would make, I concur. Only a Canadian would say this, we are unified by our childhood memories of skating outdoors after sudden freezes. The water is reflective and the sky is twice as big at this end of the park. I decide this is my reward and head back along the path. Luna meets a friendly Beagle and an up-tight Schnauzer who she barks at and wants to play with only she is too enthusiastic and I worry she'll hurt him. I leash her up and we move past this interaction, heading east. It's getting cool and I practice telling Luna to walk nice without the leash, she does it but I still don't feel comfortable. When we get near the road I put her leash back on. We pass an older couple who smiles at us. The woman has a strange look to her and I wonder if she is suffering from something. There are a lot of elders in the area.

I put my hood up and adjust the camera strap around my neck. My stiff neck. We get through the soccer fields, Luna races back and forth on the path until she has to be leashed up again. She has pooped twice and seems happy about it. We pass the same couple again and the man says "hello, again" and seems to mean it. I say "hi" back. I relish fleeting interactions with strangers. I see the mountains again at the end of Trethewey as we turn into our complex. The road seems to lead right to them, a wave of happiness passes over me. Once inside, I check the time, we have walked for 1hr and 40 minutes.