A Walk to Remember

So I just got back from a nice walk around the Brick reservoir, and as with any thing relaxing I do, I enjoy indulging in the act of thinking about life. So as I started my walk I noticed the beautiful blue sky up above my head, the group of ducks floating at the edge of the water, and the sunlight reflecting off the water, moving with the ripples, and changing slowly in color as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. As the minutes passed an overwhelming sense of tranquility took over my body; I suddenly became happy. The stresses of days passed were gone; physical pain had dissipated. I commonly think about the universe and all the wondrous mysteries it holds from us but today was different. Today I focused more on the people, people from all different backgrounds. Walking with me were individuals of many races, genders, ages, sexual orientations, and religions. As I walked with them I noticed that like me they were all happy as well. I can never be certain if their happiness was due to the elegance of our physical world like mine was, but what mattered was that it was there. I walked passed families with their children. The children often were more fascinated with the various hills, rocks, landscapes, and wildlife than the walk itself. This behavior is something that I feel should be cherished. Here are these innocent children, some whose ages can be counted with my fingers, exploring the physical world around them. In a sense I shared with them the same awe from our surroundings. This fundamental curiosity is something to be exploited; I hope it never leaves them.

As my walk came to an end I felt renewed and relaxed. For a brief moment I shared a universal feeling of happiness with individuals who I had never met, an overwhelming admiration for the world around me, and the feeling of ease as the pressures of the day came to an end. My only wish is that these feelings that I was lucky enough to experience could be shared with every being in every place on earth, so that they may feel as I do about our beautiful world in which we are granted a short time on. I try not to be pulled down by the corruption and evil that we are unfortunately exposed to. I only wish to help others, help them to experience the peacefulness that they may long for; the happiness they deserve. We are all brothers and sisters, living together on this pale blue dot. Maybe in this vast universe there are other worlds with alien civilizations that have discovered the secret to this global peace; I can only hope that if we meet them they will share it with us. Until then we are on our own… let’s love someone today.

“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies; know more about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.” ~Neil Degrasse Tyson