Garden of Life #3

The other evening I was taking a stroll around my neighborhood when I suddenly realized how fortunate I was just to be able to "walk." The human body is such a marvelous creation. As I moved along my route, I became "super" aware of my breath moving in and out of my lungs, my arms swinging rhythmically back and forth, my legs bearing and balancing my weight, and my feet padding softly on the pavement.

As I moved along to my own inner beat, memories of various movies flickered through my mind; final scenes from "Flashdance," "Ice Castles" and "Dirty Dancing" -- how "moving" they were both physically and emotionally. As if to reaffirm my observations, that evening I saw the 1977 movie "The Turning Point," a story of ballet, life and decisions starring Shirley MacClain, Anne Bancroft and Mikhail Baryshnikov. I swear Mikhail never just "danced," he defied gravity and "flew."

Now the majority of us will never, in our wildest dreams, be Baryshnikovs, but when you get right down to it, just "walking" is a miracle and shouldn't be taken for granted. There are folks who are unable to do even that.

So, have you enjoyed a walk today?

Until next time. . . remember the roses.