Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

 By Donovan Baldwin

Thinking Out Loud:

I recently went to the VA (U.S. Veterans Affairs) outpatient clinic for a skin check. I'm a wee tad prone to skin cancers and had a few spots, but, that's another story.

They took me out of the waiting room, did the blood pressure, temperature, and 20 questions thing, and then had me sit in a hallway until the Physician's Assistant was ready for me.

Wound up taking about 30 minutes, and, about every minute and a half, a lady in scrubs would walk briskly past, doing various upper body exercises with some handheld weights.

First time she passed, she said a very friendly, "Good morning, Sir," and continued on. She passed several people while I sat there and she made an apparent rectangular loop in the hallway around the exam rooms.

She slowed down for people using walkers (VA's full of us old people), and politely let everyone go ahead of her... but, she never stopped moving for at least 30 minutes. I have no idea how long she had been doing laps before they sat me down in the hallway.

My first thought was, "You go, girl!!!"

My next thought is that so many people say they want to get fit, healthier, lose weight, get rich, become famous, whatever, but, it takes effort. This lady, my guess, wanted to be healthy and found the time and space to "git 'er done".

If you want "it", whatever your "it" is, you usually do.

Monday morning as I write this. A little earlier than when I got there the other day, but, I bet soon, she's at it. Working towards her goal.

You go, girl!!!

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Labels: exercise, fitness, motivation, walking

By Donovan Baldwin

Morning walk begun in darkness. Even the sun's not awake.

Rabbits scurry away barely seen in the gray half light.

Slowly, light begins to dawn, hence the word, or vice versa, first to the east, gradually lightening the whole sky. Some reds, yellows, blues.

Shadowy things take shape and substance.

That's how life happens sometimes. Unsure of what we are seeing at first, until some sort of light, delineation, illuminates the scene, allowing us to make out details.

Despite claiming poethood, I don't like to get too mystical about these things. I've too many scars to balance myself entirely on sunrise and roses and rabbits in the dawn, but, I tend to forget they are there as I go about my daily obligations.

It's "nice", simple word, but useful, to reconnect with the momentarily unfamiliar familiar.

So many mornings of my life, I've watched the world's life renew itself, or, sadly, learned of someone or something NOT being renewed this day.

Cycle of life.

Sometimes we get in a rut and only see what we see, or think we see, day after day, and forget the other things.

That's one reason why I like morning walks.

I'm reminded that there's more to know about each day, than just the day-TO-day stuff we all deal with. I can start my day with news, or with rabbits scurrying away in the dewy grass as the sun begins to change the colors of the world from black and gray (grey for my Brit friends), to green and yellow and blue and red, and, waking up the sleepy birds, causes them to sing a sleepy good morning.

Just walking around in my mind, now that, with my help, of course, the sun's up.

Good morning.

Labels: day, donovan baldwin, life, morning, morning walk, poet, sunrise, walk, walking