I Need Some Of This

A couple of weeks ago I planned to meet my friend Annie for a girl's night in. I went to Manchester early to catch a show at the Currier Museum, then wasted an hour walking my dog around the old neighborhood before meeting Annie. I love the old homes and density of Manchester. I ended up at Wagner Park, which most people call Pretty Park. It is pretty- very formal and peaceful with an array of evergreens, paths and lovely iron benches.

My insides have been a swirl lately so Henry & I decided to finish up with a little meditation and sat on a bench. And right on the bench was this stone which reads "Peace is in You." It made me so happy. Someone left it there and I found it! And I could use a little of what it was espousing. I practically giggled.

I went to the other benches to see if there were more stones..... and there were! I picked up three more and put them in my pocket. Then I sat down to contemplate my bounty. "You are a pig for keeping this wealth all to yourself," I thought. I reluctantly placed the stones back on the benches where I found them, keeping only my red stone. "But you really like them and they mean something to you," I thought again. Sigh, how could I keep them and share the bounty? I went and picked up one more to give to my friend Annie and left the others for someone else.

I hope someone who needed to find those stones found theirs. I hope it was as meaningful to them as it was to me. Even if it wasn't meaningful, maybe it will bring them meaning some day.

If A Branch Falls In The Woods....

I was on my morning walk with my little dog Henry when I heard the distinctive crack of a branch. I didn't even bother to look up. I just yanked Henry's lead and skedaddled forward as I heard the branch fall to the ground behind me. It was small- about as big around as a sausage and 10 feet long.

Many times in the past I have walked by fallen sticks, branches, limbs and sometimes even whole trees. They are laid out across the road. If they are small enough I kick them to the edge of the road or pick them up and heave them into the woods. I can't help thinking about a car coming across one of these too quickly and causing damage to the car or its passengers. On occasion I try to imagine at what time of day the branch gave out. Would it have been at an hour when there was passing traffic? Is it possible that a pedestrian such as myself could have been near by?

When I cross country ski through the back country around my home I see lots of fallen trees. I tend to be a lot more cautious when I head into the puckerbrush. If the snow has been heavy and it is still stuck to the trees I try to stay in the open fields. If I was hit by a a tree in the middle of nowhere it could be days before I am found. I could be dead from exposure, injury or even lack of breakfast.

But what are the chances of being hit by a falling limb while out on a walk? I am intrigued by the randomness of it. So does this make me lucky or unlucky to have witnessed it?