Don’t Go For A Walk, Go For A Wonder Wander

Don’t Go For A Walk –
head down,
arms pumping,
heart racing,
pedometer counting,
lungs stretching,
mind worrying
about yesterday,
tomorrow,
somewhere else.

Stop.
Start again.
Take your camera.

Go For A Wonder Wander –
head up,
look at the amazing colour
of the sky,
cloud formations;
eyes searching,
seeing,
lichen by the side
of the path,
tiny flowers still blooming
in the cold,
beautiful moss lining the ditch,
water cress and miners lettuce,
food you can nibble;
arms swinging, relaxed,
fingers pointing,
at that squirrel
with a whole walnut
in its mouth;
lungs pulling in crisp, clean air,
exhaling tension, impatience;
heart at rest,
full of gratitude
for these beautiful woods;
mind full of wonder
at the sound
of tiny birds
in the trees above you,
cheeping excitedly;
worry dissipating into a sense
of wonder
at all you’ve
missed
on all those walks.

©Sharron R. McMillan