Kimberly Knowle-Zeller
Belong - 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes
It's the same every time.
Whenever we walk, we take the same route.
Most days it's a whirlwind to get out of the house for a walk. I as much as whisper the word walk and the dog goes crazy. Jumping and running all over knocking us all down. Shoes need to be put on. Sometimes jackets zipped up. The stroller needs assembling. Everyone needs buckled in. Enough toys have to be in the stroller so there's no fighting. We push out of the driveway and immediately Charlotte points to the direction she wants to go.
It's the same direction every single time.
We pass our neighbors and give thanks for their presence. We walk around the church and talk about all the times we spend there and all the people who make our lives better. We take our time walking past an open field and look for birds. We listen to their sounds and chatter. We keep our eyes open for the occasional armadillo we've seen roaming around.
Every stop sign we approach I hear Charlotte yell, "Stop." We look both ways and point out the colors of the cars passing by. We see the house with our favorite dog, Elmo. Whether he's outside or not, we say hello to him. "Hi Elmo!"
Other walkers pass. We greet them and sometimes join in walking with them. Sharing about our days and the joy of getting outside. We pass kids playing in their yards and hear cheers of hello.
We walk through the parking lot of the local nursing home. We wave to residents sitting outside. We say prayers for those in need of comfort and healing. The local gas station attendants wave to us and offer a special treat for the kids. Now every time we walk by the gas station Charlotte says, "eat."
Eventually I hear Charlotte say, "out!" She gets out of the stroller and helps me push her brother. They both wave to cars and people who pass us. We pass more houses of our friends and neighbors. We offer more prayers of thanks for their presence.
We take this same walk daily.
Together we walk our town. A simple walk. Only a walk, yet it's never just a walk. Whether we're hurried and stressed, whether we're in need of rest, whether we're short on patience, we walk.
And while we walk we find our way. We remember that we're right where we belong.
**All month I'll be participating in 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes. Each day I'll take some time (sometimes 5 minutes and sometimes a little more) to sit down and write. It's about the discipline of writing each day. It's about listening to the words from within. It's about letting creativity work in me. I'll share my writing at some point during the day on my blog. Thanks for reading.