Meaning

Thoughts on a Walk

By November 30, 2024 No Comments

I changed up my walking route this morning, choosing a path through a nearby reservation. The day was picture-perfect: blue skies, a canopy of changing trees, and a carpet of leaves accompanied by the birds’ soundtrack.

As I walked to the rhythmic crunch beneath my feet, I thought about the change in season and the cold months ahead.

I thought about the leaves underfoot—so many shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties. I thought about the trees that provided so much to the ecosystem of plants and animals, and the oxygen created through photosynthesis. But now, the life of these leaves was nearly used up, and their days of providing shade and protection were waning.

That’s the cycle of life. Their final act will be to help feed and rejuvenate the soil as they decay, perhaps even providing shelter for small animals during the cold winter months.

Our lives are like that, too. At the end of our “useful” (think career) life, we enter a stage of giving back. We have skills, knowledge, experience, wisdom, and the ability to help others. It seems like a good encore to me.

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