Each Day Brings Something New

Five years ago Izzy, our border collie, came into our life and became a member of our family.  As with all new family members, adjustments had to be made.  For me, it meant waking up every morning and walking with her.  This wasn’t a big deal as I had wanted to get out and walk for a long time.  Now I had a quiet partner to join me and motivate me to do it. 

What I didn’t imagine when we started walking together was how much I would need to walk.  For me, walking has become a way to get my joints moving in the morning on both good and bad days.  Walking has become my way of meeting and talking with neighbors I generally wouldn’t know.  Walking has become a way to let my mind and all of its thoughts find peace and understanding.  Walking has become a way to connect with nature and all of its beauty.  I don’t think that five years ago I would have imagined that a suburban neighborhood had so much nature to share, but it does.  Some days Izzy and I stop and watch squirrels chase each other up and down trees, we run as fast as we can and scare away the geese that are littering our paths, we experience the elements, we watch the leaves change from fall to winter and back to spring, and most mornings we feel and see the sun. 

Last week was all about the sun for me.  The sun is now rising as I take my walk in the morning and it has grabbed hold of me and as nature tends to do has asked me to stop and reflect.  Each new sunrise last week was a different experience.  The photos I took show how different each day started even though it was the same sun.  It reminded me of my own life.  Each day starts with me, but each day brings something new.  It is up to me to stop, look, and find the differences of one day to the next. 

Last week brought some pain in my left knee that I haven’t experienced in a while.  It also brought fear and panic.  Every task I was met with last week seemed overwhelming and draining.  But each day that I walked and was met by the sunrise of the day, I was reminded that this day doesn’t have to be the same as the day before.  New possibilities are always in our horizon.  Remembering that a day, a week, or even a month of pain/hurting doesn’t mean that the next day will bring the same.   The only constant is me.  I can always count on that.  Everything else is a mystery waiting to be experienced and lived.   The sun and all that nature provides for me on my daily walks reminds me to look for the beauty in myself despite the pain or frustration I may be feeling.  

My sweet Izzy always finds something new with each day.  It may be a new smell, a new friend, a new enemy or a treat.  Last week she discovered a Dairy Queen sundae bowl on our path.  She picked it up and started carrying it home.  She kept hold of it for about 1/2 mile before she finally let it go.  The next day it was in the same spot as she had left it the day before.  She carried it again but this time when she dropped it she licked the inside as quickly as she could before I could pull her away.