We were both standing still, quiet, listening. She was about 20 feet behind me. As we approached the end of the tree-covered part of our walk everything was very quiet; there was no wind blowing. And then, all of the sudden, we felt a breeze, ever so softly, and small leafs started falling all around us, as if they were rain drops. What stopped us both in our tracks was the sound of the leafs falling, and the wind caressing the tree branches. We just stood there without saying a word, just listening; it was a magic moment.
I love those moments. She does too, my wife. That's one of our favorite things to do... Taking walks in nature, among trees and streams and prairies, and at the beach. And each time we get to take those walks I take time to appreciate how truly special those moments are. I never take them for granted. And I often tell her.
And the thing is that I know she feels the same. That's what I love about her. It is little things like that that make her happy, the same way they make me happy. A walk in the park, hiking up a hill and waiting to see the sunset in the Pacific horizon, stopping to watch a Blue Jay (well, actually two, since they always hang around in pairs) jump from branch to branch screeching like they do. And streams... She loves to watch streams, their waters murmuring as they flow through the rocks.
We often take walks in the weekends, especially on Sundays, and sometimes we joke that that's our weekly "church-going" experience. But we say that only half joking as we both somehow feel that being among trees, among streams, listening the the wind as it flows through leafs, is some sort of spiritual experience.
For me, every time I get to take those walks with her will always be a special moment, a moment I will not take for granted, being aware of how fleeting life is.
And it makes me happy that we both feel the same way... We don't want stuff; we want to be with each other. We enjoy the little things in life, the walk in the park, the stroll at the beach, the sound of the wind flowing through the trees, each other's company.
Didn't someone say that that's all we need, love? Well, perhaps there another thing we need: empathy towards those who don't have someone to love them, who may be suffering, who may be in need, who may not be able to take walks in the parks.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with love, with serenity, with contentment... And for those who are feeling down, who are suffering, who are going through hard times, I'll be thinking of you as well, hoping that things get better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Market For The People |
Ray Pensador |
Email List |
Twitter |
Facebook