Sometimes Life is a Walk in the Park

Bright sunshine and warm breezes had me thinking of my favorite local park. I knew there would be many people there, trying to shake off the blues from the tough winter we just had. As I pulled into the parking lot, I decided to say hello to everyone I passed on the trails, to see if I could brighten their day, and mine.

Out on the trail with my dog, I let the sun and the warm air take me to that place that clears my head and reminds me about what is important in life. Wanting to share that peaceful, somehow spiritual feeling, I began to greet people as I passed them. I was surprised to get so many responses, although some took a few seconds to snap out of their thoughts. Most smiled and seemed to appreciate the attention. This lifted my mood even more, until I saw a woman sitting all alone on a bench near the trail, just staring off into a nearby stream. She looked somewhat sad, and I wondered briefly why, but chose not to intrude on her thoughts and moved along.

It occurred to me as I walked what an amazing cross-section of humanity I had seen so far that day… tall, short, thick, thin, pretty, and not so much. Some had come there to leave their problems behind, and others to sort them out. As I pondered these thoughts, my dog abruptly stopped for a few minutes, to sniff something along the trail. Suddenly, a voice behind me asked, “Who’s walking who?” Surprised, I turned, and standing in front of me was the sad woman from the park bench.

I muttered something like, “I’m never really sure”, trying weakly to sound funny. She said that she had recently moved here and asked if I knew how to get back to the parking lot by the picnic area. I did, and I offered to walk that way with her, if she didn’t mind. As the small talk spilled out, she mentioned that her husband had passed away not long ago. Now things began to add up, and I realized how sad and lonely she must be, due to her loss. I don’t always feel comfortable reaching out to a stranger in that situation, but as we walked toward the picnic area, the right words tumbled out and my uneasiness quickly melted away. I shared how the low points in my life always led to a better outcome eventually, because I learned from them and grew stronger. I also reminded her that we were sharing one of the most beautiful days so far this year. Before long, we were talking and laughing like old friends. We stood by her car and talked for a long time, and it seemed like we touched on a lifetime worth of experiences. After several awkward attempts to say goodbye, where we both brought up something new in the hope that it wouldn’t end, we both finally laughed and said goodbye for real.

I could tell from the smile on her face as she left, that something special had happened that day under the budding trees. I guess the moral of the story is that you never know when or where the opportunity to be someone's hero may come along.

I tuck days like that away to be cherished and remembered on the not so sunny days.