01/09/2025
You don’t need to get to the park
It’s January 9, 2025.
I’m in Wilmington North Carolina.
26° with the feels like temp of 14°. But a dog‘s gotta go for a walk when a dog‘s gotta go for a walk!
I bundled myself up very well. On the way to the park, I encountered a neighbor who could tell that I was freezing my face off, he told me “once you get into the park and you’re in the sun, it gets much better“.
Lulu and I hurried on our way.
The entrance to the park is a sneaky pathway that takes you from the neighborhood into the park itself.
It’s pretty well shaded.
It also happens to be one of Lulu‘s favorite places to sniff the ivy.
I’m running in place and waving my arms trying to stay warm, to no avail.
I didn’t wanna hurry her on her way because, sidenote, dogs burn more calories sniffing than they do walking. But I digress…
While jumping up and down and twisting my body to stay warm, my face caught a shaft of sun peeking between the trees.
I stopped.
I felt the warm glow of the sun from my face all the way down to my toes.
I had a bit of a revelation.
I was so fixated on getting to the park that I wasn’t allowing myself to be present.
Sometimes it takes no more than a step to the side, a twist in another direction or simply a tilt of the head.
Seeking the sunshine, even just a slice, right where you are is much more gratifying than racing to get somewhere in hopes of finding ALL of the sunshine.
