We took a walk this morning. We all took the same walk - the same route at the same time - but about half-way through the walk I realized just how different the experience was for each of us.
Mademoiselle picked dandelions to make a puffy yellow ball, and took turns pushing James in the stroller.
Benefactor picked up big rocks and sticks and they all became part of his arsenal.
Baby James was mostly content to ride and watch and relax, and I paid most attention to old abandoned houses, listened to the kids' observations, and tried to get the most exercise possible out of a 12 block walk.
Five different people with five completely different ways of seeing the same things. All of our interests were equally valid. All of them are fascinating, to us. We all gained something out of our individual thoughts and observations. They matter. They have value.
I loved seeing how differently each of us thinks. Mademoiselle loves creation and beauty. S.A.M. notices how things work, and why they are needed. Benefactor is brave and feisty. James is curious and supercute, you know. And I am the practical and slightly distracted adult.
If Tyler had been with us I know he would have noticed and enjoyed things that I didn't even see. Probably some wildlife or landscaping or broken law or something, but I don't know.
So, I'm kind of curious, now - what do you notice or care about or pay attention to when you are out on a walk? Please tell me!
3 comments:
Well, when I'm out with Benefactor, and it's just the two or three of us, I focus entirely on making it to the next cross-street before he does, because I don't know if he'll stop OR look OR listen.
But when I'm on a walk here? I love the part where I crest the hill and see the ocean spread out and the cool wind - even cooler wind - hit my face. I love looking at the different wind-ripples in the water, which tells me about the way the little islands either block the wind or make it turbulent or cross over itself.
I like to look out and see if I can see the Olympics or if it's too overcast for that. I like to look over to Washington Park and see the point where we sometimes sit on the bench after the long climb from the entrance (which is way out of sight, down too low and around a corner).
Just recently on my walk I noticed a travel trailer and realized it was the one across the street from us, and that if I looked a little further I could see our house.
And then there was the time I saw a house I hadn't noticed before way up on a hill, and then as I tried to figure out where it was, I realized that it was on our street, only a few houses down from our house, and that our street was really in a different place from where I'd thought, at a different angle and higher up.
I also think about how far I'm going and how fast and if I'll set any records today.
Right now I'm just walking up and downhill in my garden, moving dirt. But those are the things I saw and thought about a couple of weeks ago, when the rain came and went even during my walk.
This has been a fun exercise. Thanks for thinking of it. Thanks for asking!
nice post..........keen commentry on little things which go unnoticed.
For me it's all about what I can take a picture of that will make me happy later and foreverish. And that tends to be people I love. And nature.
My response is much more perfunctory than Mom's.
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