walks

One of my absolute favorite things to do is to go for walks… especially at night. Tonight was the first night I’ve taken a walk through my neighborhood since the fall, and it was oh-so-lovely. Every now and then, I will take a walk with my iPod plugged into my ears. As someone who absolutely loves music, I rather enjoy having the soundtrack with me. However, as I’ve gotten older, and as I’ve fallen more in love with creation, I’ve found that I take more walks WITHOUT my iPod. I love listening while I’m walking… Obviously during the fall is the best, when you can hear the leaves dancing along the street, dragging their legs and making a soft sweeping noise as they move about. But mostly, I love listening to the wind, even if there are no leaves to dance. There’s something so amazing about the wind, and I just love being out in it…

I have so many memories of fantastic walks… One of my favorite places to walk is on the pier on Lake Michigan. I had the honor of walking that pier this past Saturday with my friend Ms. Rigden, and it reminded me of all the great walks I’ve had on that pier and down by the lake. Another great place to walk is Doctor’s Park – such a beautiful walk down to the beach! I also love walking up Brewer’s Hill. While it isn’t the most fantastic as far as nature is concerned, it does have one of the most amazing views of Milwaukee – I love walking up there, sitting up there, and looking down over the city – especially right around sundown. BRILLIANT! And of course, there are places like Pike’s Peak – a place where you are surrounded by beautiful trees, and the sunshine peeks through the branches every few feet, reminding you of its warm existence.

But while I enjoy all of these places, and they all hold their own special beauty, I have yet to find a place to walk that I like more than the neighborhood where I grew up. I have so many fond memories of so many spots in my neighborhood. So many summer nights spent sitting on the street corner, thinking about life as an adult, and wondering what it would hold. Walks taken with my best friends from high school, sharing pieces of our lives as we dipped in and out of different subdivisions. I love thinking about the many trips to Super America I took with my best friend Leah as a little kid. All the activities that flurried about as we walked through our neighborhood – the smell of moms making dinner, the sound of dogs barking and kids laughing and neighbors setting off firecrackers… I love walking through the neighborhood, and remembering all the amazing conversations and moments I’ve had with people in my life.

Walks are just so great, aren’t they? I don’t know… Maybe I’m easily amused. I once told my friends that I’d be a cheap date – all you’d have to do is go on a great walk with me, and I’d be as happy as can be!

Walks provide an amazing time to converse, to think, to reflect, to pray, and to relish in the beauty of God’s creation. So fantastic.

So with warn weather just around the corner, I know there are more great walks to come… Walks through my neighborhood, walks through other neighborhoods, and walks through places yet to be discovered.