Just a walk in the park

Do you ever have those moments in life where suddenly everything looks so different, looks better and more beautiful? That happened to me today. Later in the afternoon, I was feeling the need to get outdoors and be in nature. I knew the canyons were getting snow, and with the forecast of new snow coming, I didn't want to head out that far alone. I decided to go to one of my favorite haunts, Memory Grove Park and City Creek Canyon. I brought with me my fleece cover, some water, my ipod, and my camera. Having not seen any sun in days, I was craving enrichment of the outdoors. I parked my car and proceeded up the hill as I had done 100 times in the past, but something about this time was different. It was familiar, but seemed all new to me. The sounds of the cold wind blowing through the trees, the splashing sounds of the creek as it rushed past me, and the bird songs all seemed more brilliant and alive to me today. In the past when I have come to this place it is usually for the exercise (when I have my very focused face on) or to gab with people and meet dogs. Today though, I felt more like a drifter. There was no focus, no ambitions, no worries, just.......peace (dare I say it). I spent most of my time looking up into the trees, noticing the few remaining leaves balancing on the stems, watching the birds fly from limb to limb. I noticed the color of the bark, the different shades of green in the needles of the pines. Everything around me seemed so alive and amazing.

As I turned back go down the hill to my car, I came across a women with her dog. She looked to be in her late 70s/early 80s. She had a smile on her face that seemed to show she knew what I was feeling. I smiled back. Her dog, a large Dalmatian, came up to me for a quick sniff and then proceeded on his way. I thought to myself, "I hope that is me in 50 years; a women that is happy, peaceful, content, and even blissful."
It is possible to see the world in all its beauty. Just take a walk in a park and look around, you never know what you might find.