If I had not gone walking . . . .

Within the past 24 hours, I've gone for two walks down our country road.

This morning, while being allowed to walk before grabbing the papers, it dawned on me what we miss when we don't go walking.

I believe going for walks is the best free gift we can bestow on ourselves every day.

There are the scientific reasons. Yes.

Lately, I've read news items about how walking helps improve memory, especially as we get older.

The obvious benefit of an overall fitter body goes without saying.

But beyond that, the rewards are limitless.

I was thinking this morning about what I would have missed if I had not gone on these two wonderful walks down South Center Valley Road. 

I would have missed  . . . 

. . . the spectacular beauty of these snow-capped Selkirk peaks on a sunny day.

. . . the ever-developing winter whitewash of the Cabinet Mountains to the east.

. . . what's happening in Jack Filipowski's cattle pens and pastures.  Seems the baby calves and their mothers spend a lot of time in the barn during these winter months. 

. . . a few waves from neighbors driving up and down the road.

. . . a chance to say good bye to my dear former student Haley, who along with her husband set off for their life's adventure to a new home in Anchorage, Alaska.  

He'll work as an engineer, and she'll continue her fabulous photography.  

I saw on Facebook this morning that they left from Mom Deb and Dad Dan's home on North South Center Valley Road just an hour past the scheduled departure at 4:30 a.m.

If I had not gone for that walk yesterday, I would not have seen my sister Barbara and her dog Pita driving back from a photo shoot at Sunnyside, and yes, Miss T has a new lovely shot of the lake on her Flickr account this morning. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/misstshs/

If I had not taken yesterday's walk, Kea would not have come past the "no-no" zone in the driveway to meet and greet me.

Usually, Border Collies know the "no-no" zone, which means don't go any closer to the road.

I let her off easy yesterday and snapped her picture.

I mentioned "being allowed" to walk on the road in regard to this morning.

Usually, I'm not allowed because Annie Dog knows nothing about the "no-no" zone.  She knows everything about old dogs who go any damn place they please regardless of how many times they've been told "no."

And, for Annie Dog, "any damn place she pleases" becomes a more enthusiastic destination every time I step onto our road.

Right in the middle of the road,  with traffic coming either direction,  is Annie's ultimate goal.

This morning, for some unknown reason, she retired to the her couch in the garage after chores and allowed me to walk up and down the road.

If I had not taken that walk, I would have missed

. . . seeing the jet airliner, bound for Spokane---before its sound.  

How often does that happen?

Sunlight and blue sky allowed that sight.

I looked up and saw it coming from the north, a shade of hot pink and not making a sound but moving gradually toward its destination.

I watched the plane until I heard its sound.

I also thought during that moment of how I'd be leavin' on a jet soon, sitting in a seat up there in the sky.  

I also thought about how maybe someone far across the country and the sea might be out for an early morning walk on a country road in Ireland and look up to us our jetliner just before our morning arrival in Dublin.

I love moments like that when we can dream of how it's going to be on our upcoming adventures.

If I had not been walking this morning, I would not have stopped to see the three crows fly over Taylor's field from the southeast.

I did hear their sound before looking up to watch one veer off from the group and head over toward Gary Finney's woods, while the other two flew over my head on a northwesterly pattern----cawing all the way.

The driveway and the paper box came too soon to see or hear much more of this morning's activity, but I did catch that almost full moon before it disappeared completely behind the western mountains.

Yup, those walks do enliven our senses and maintain our quality of life.

They're definitely the gifts that keep on giving in more ways than we can count.