Saturday, October 25, 2008

Slipping Off to the Park


This morning about 8 am, while my husband and daughter slept in, I slipped off to the local park a few blocks from our home for a sunshine-filled walk....something I rarely do.

And it was lovely, of course. Our park is smallish, with gentle green slopes surrounding a lake filled with ducks, geese and assorted other water bird, and stocked with trout and catfish. Tall, aging eucalyptus trees sway in the breeze, scenting the park and shading sojourners. (See photo.)

What struck me most this morning, though, was the quiet love that filled the park:

  • A 30-something couple, her with a walker, he walking alongside, gently helping her. They laughed together, sat on a bench for a while, then slowly walked a bit farther.

  • A young father with his daughter, feeding the ducks, taking photos

  • A father fishing with his boys

  • An elderly, eightyish couple walking hand-in-hand

  • Mothers chatting quietly while their children clamber on the playground

And walkers of all ages, sizes, and ethnicities, with and without dogs...mothers and daughters, women friends, couples, singles.


Everyone savoring the moment and enjoying the morning.


The pastoral park scene reminded me of the beauty of life.