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adrienmundiI rarely see people on my walk along the wooded path at lunch, particularly when it's cold, but I do see signs of them: garbage; a scorched circle on the path where it looks like someone built a fire; a weathered grey hoodie draped over a log, as if to dry.
About a month ago or more, I noticed something that gave me pause. At the end of the path, where the asphalt ends, it opens into a clearing domed by trees up against a bow in the creek. Just in front of the remains of a bench, someone had very carefully cleared circle in the leaves, probably eight feet across. My first thought was, 'This is to contain something', and walked carefully around it. Over time, and through the weather, the line of the circle has narrowed in places, leaves blowing here and there, but on the whole, the integrity remained.
Friday, for some reason, things were different. It was sunny, clear, and I was in high spirits. Instead of avoiding the circle out of habit, I walked directly to it and consciously drug my foot across the line and the circle it contained, thinking, 'Be free'. In that moment, any hesitation or trepidation was gone; I trusted goodwill, context, and an undefined feeling that nothing bad would come of it, even if bad was originally meant to be present.
It strikes me that in general, I tend to trust that my dealings with things (particularly outdoors) will be neutral to very positive, and I accept this generally without question. I don't know why this is so much harder with people.
About a month ago or more, I noticed something that gave me pause. At the end of the path, where the asphalt ends, it opens into a clearing domed by trees up against a bow in the creek. Just in front of the remains of a bench, someone had very carefully cleared circle in the leaves, probably eight feet across. My first thought was, 'This is to contain something', and walked carefully around it. Over time, and through the weather, the line of the circle has narrowed in places, leaves blowing here and there, but on the whole, the integrity remained.
Friday, for some reason, things were different. It was sunny, clear, and I was in high spirits. Instead of avoiding the circle out of habit, I walked directly to it and consciously drug my foot across the line and the circle it contained, thinking, 'Be free'. In that moment, any hesitation or trepidation was gone; I trusted goodwill, context, and an undefined feeling that nothing bad would come of it, even if bad was originally meant to be present.
It strikes me that in general, I tend to trust that my dealings with things (particularly outdoors) will be neutral to very positive, and I accept this generally without question. I don't know why this is so much harder with people.
