Good Morning God: 1. A Morning Walk
The idea began with wrestling with one of the few routines I maintain and only because of an insistent dog. A simple walk in the morning has slowly turned into a moment to talk and be closer to God.
In the early morning, a breeze breaks the state of oppressive heat, a staple living through Texas summers. The breeze almost startles me for a moment, allows me that feeling of being fully present.
I have noticed as I turn a corner, the sun, a golden flame radiating through the trees. It is very easy to concentrate on things to do in the day, ideas that need to be written or paintings that need to be started or finished.
Often I have to force myself not to shorten the walk as the ideas all clamor for my attention but this is his time and his part of my day. It is easy to overlook the presence of God and his working in one's life.
All we have to do is listen to the news as all the evil that unfolds every evening reminds us where we live and introduces a feeling of hopelessness. It's those moments that I truly stop and take in the moment that I feel peace that is hard to explain.
My walk slows, my breath is more pronounced and slows to realize a moment in his presence. It is so easy to feel the stresses of life and ignore the simple things.
My connection to nature is constantly at odds with having time, with being stressed or having too much on my mind. This is a moment where I listen to the birds, watch the huge flock of white winged doves startle from the telephone lines and fly in spirals in a pale blue sky.
Such a small routine, like spending the first hour on Sunday at church, something I have had a very difficult time forcing myself to do. I am a work in progress and the walk I take every morning with the dog is just a beginning of strengthening a bond, reigniting a faith that is strong as stone and weak as the roots of a maple.
How I approach life and happiness is being deliberate and in this world, faith and nature must be something we approach with a deliberate intention, something I continue to learn as I walk the dog in the morning.
