I went for a walk today for the first time in months. It felt exhilarating to get outside without having to bundle myself up for a Polar expedition. Despite the warmer temperatures the walk wasn’t as simple or peaceful as I had hoped it would be when I watched my neighbours walking their dogs past my window. The sidewalks were strewn with ice or puddles, sometimes even combinations of the two, which made walking a bit difficult. For some stretches of my walk the wind was bitterly cold making me second guess the wisdom of coming outside. Was it too soon? Should I have waited a few more weeks before venturing out into the world?
Like my walk there are times when life is pleasant and easy but we can’t walk in the same direction forever. Even if we did, the wind can change directions unexpectedly and change everything. The change isn’t always a bad thing. It can encourage us to take a path we hadn’t planned on, or help push us forward when we are slowing down. Sometimes it even brings a refreshing coolness when we need it most.
I thought I had gone out prepared, wearing my oh-so-fashionable green rubber boots, wind-proof black jacket and stretchy gloves that could be stashed easily in a pocket if I didn’t need them. Could I have been better prepared? Probably but that doesn’t mean that tomorrow I can’t do better. Add some extra layers, plan for a few more contingencies.
It also doesn’t change the fact that today I returned from my walk feeling positive despite the difficulties. Life, like the wind, is not static. It is full of changes – some pleasant, some not. You can try to anticipate and plan for some of them but others come unexpectedly and you just need to learn to adapt. Eventually you will turn a corner or the wind will change on its own and you will find that everything has changed along with it. The walking becomes easier and you start looking forward to seeing what is waiting around the next corner.
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