i went for a walk today, because despite the fact that it was 29 something degrees outside this morning (and 58 in our house...), it warmed up beautifully.
the sun is out. it's temperate. and i had to take part in it.
getting out the door was the hardest part. i found my hat, my shoes, some pants that weren't pajamas, and i was off. i tried to get my ipod, but it was as dead as dead can be. so i went out sans noise for a walk around the neighborhood. i decided to try a different route, to possibly make it less monotonous.
so i turned right at the turnabout and headed out. in my head kept coming little snippets of songs that i couldn't quite finish, possibly ones that i've heard on commercials or have been brought to mind by other things. they weren't disturbing. in fact, they were like background static. mainly, i was not thinking at all.
how very lovely to not think at all.
i mean, i was thinking, after a while, about how i had a stitch in my side and if it was a braxton-hicks contraction. and then i thought who cares? and i was thinking about the arches of my feet, as i walked by the side of a road without a sidewalk, and how they hurt more than they normally did. and then i was thinking about how differently i was walking, being 7.25 months pregnant.
but mainly i was wondering what people were thinking, seeing this visibly pregnant woman walking down the road. i was thinking what i would be thinking. i was surprised by the nice man who said hello, and i was wondering about why it is that people seem friendlier toward pregnant people. i enjoyed watching the family play outside with the dog, teaching it out how to fetch, and i marveled at the sheer number of rental units that i passed. then i started to think that i had to pee.
of course.
but mainly i just thought about how splendid and easy it was to walk today, and how even though i had no idea how far i had gone, or how long i'd been out, the fatigue in my hips and legs told me that i had done good work.
and i was pleased with myself.
there's something so lovely about a day like today, when i just seem to be plodding along, getting things done. but there's something even better about a long walk that challenges but also has the cathartic ability to take all of everything else away.
i still have no idea what to make for dinner, and the dishes still aren't done.
but for 55 minutes, that just didn't really much matter.
i wish every day was like today.
People are generally so much nicer to pregnant people. This extends past the pregnancy, to when they see you struggling with a stroller when you are doing something like navigating Panera for the first time alone with a baby--sometimes the best part of having a child is finding out how much it opens you up to the world, and the world to you (esp. if you are a sort of shy/standoffish person, like I am/was).
ReplyDelete