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How Do You Spell Spring? W-a-l-k-i-n-g
by Hugh Houchin Spring is a glorious time of the year. To me, of the four seasons that God promises we'll always have, it's the most beautiful. From trees rousing from their winter slumber to hibernating animals doing the same, spring radiates new life. Including, of course, the spring calving season that's common to us who live in cattle-country USA. Spring is the time of year I awake from a personal winter-long-semi-hibernation and see myself in the mirror. "Whatsat?" I say. It looks like a pudgy growth circling around my mid-section. "Where'd it come from? I swear it wasn't there yesterday. Maybe it's a fast growing tumor." Fortunately it's not a tumor, but it's definitely a "something" that has to go. Thanks to spring I have the ticket. It's known as walking. Walking, I'm told, is one of the best overall exercises humans have at their disposal. The neatest thing about it is it's free. To walk, I don't have to show a membership card or use my debit card. I can walk whenever I want about anywhere I want. I can walk by myself, or with someone, and go as far and long as I desire. So, if I encounter writers block, or happen to look at my bank account and panic, I simply minimize my computer screen head outside and walk. When I've worked whatever is bugging me out of my system, I realize life is not as bad as I thought it was. In less than two weeks I turn 66, and, bragging, one of my spring and summer enjoyments is walking the Monument. I live about 25 miles from a National Monument that towers 800 plus feet into the clean, fresh, pollution-free air of western Nebraska. Years ago, a winding path to the top of the Monument was hewn into its steep slope. The path is a three mile round trip. Once nice weather arrives, my youngest daughter, who is in her mid-twenties, and I walk the path two or three times a week. If, for some reason she can't make it, I walk it by myself. What an experience, step-by-step I walk into the sky, surrounded by the majesty of our God and His creation. After years of walking, I understand why He made that exercise beneficial. Walking slows me down, even when I walk fast my mind works slower, which means less clutter. This makes it possible for me to grasp more of Him. To the glory of God, the wonder and beauty of spring and walking go hand-in-hand. To Him goes the glory for all He has done. Hugh Houchin is retired, but enjoys fulltime freelance writing. His publishing credits include articles and columns in western Nebraska newspapers and numerous websites. You may read more of Houchin's articles at: http://spiritualwatercooler.blogspot.com contact: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |