Changing perspective

What to do when you don’t have sweeping mountain vistas

So here I am walking the parkway. It’s not this epic hike with amazing scenery or beautiful tread. There are no elk or moose to look for. No bears to be scared of.

The way I see it I have a choice, I can focus on the things I don’t have or I can focus on the things I do have. What is interesting around me? I narrow my focus to the smaller delights. It’s spring time, I love the abundance of wild flowers lining the road. If you look closely you see the variations of colors within the same species. Violet to lilac. Bright pink thistles to white. Sometimes it means the plant is in a later stage of life, sometimes it’s just a variation. One day I see yellow flowers as singles, the next day they are clustered. I wonder what causes the difference.

Staring at your feet and the grass on the side may reveal a box turtle or a snake. Avoid the many fire ant hills. They get vicious when you step on them.

Oh look, there is a silhouette of a leaf in the white painted line on the asphalt. Caterpillars crawl over it. An armadillo crossed the road. He makes it. The poor possum didn’t. And neither did the black snake.

The reds, purples and whites make for a great tapestry. The yellows often keep their distance. There are even some lost daffodils. How did they get here?

The Buckeye is blooming. Clouds are moving in and out.

Another 20 mile day is done.

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