Garden Gnome meets Cats

written sometime in 2024

In  recent months since my retirement, I have been making an effort to follow the advice of my chief physician (Dr. Google) and “walking my way” to better health. Often I walk alone and follow the same route (around Central Park). These walks provide an opportunity for reflection and deep thought. But, more often than not, I lapse into daydreaming or, worse still, my body slips into autopilot with little thinking or awareness.

Last Monday was an exception. The weather was especially cold and clear. And, also because I walked later in the day than usual, the light and sights were very different. I was treated to spectacular views of the North Shore mountains basked in the last sunlight of the day. As the sun set, the sky was filled with amazing colours which silhouetted trees and buildings.

As a result, I began to be more aware not only of my surroundings (the frost, the ducks, the bare deciduous trees, the evergreens, the Christmas lights in the park) but also the people I passed. Near the end of my walk, I passed a woman carrying two large cats and I had a silent laugh to myself at her expense.

In passing I had also noticed that this woman had an interesting smile on  her face. As I finished up my walk, I reflected that this woman was smiling because of the moments she was sharing with the cats she loved. But, then it occurred to me that perhaps she was smiling because (in a heightened state of awareness of her own) she saw something when she looked at me. I realized that this was possible. Dressed for the weather with my bright red coat, parka up, touque and rosy cheeks, I realized that it was entirely possible that I resembled a garden gnome out for its daily constitutional. At this point, I had another silent laugh- but this time at myself.

All in all, a  great walk -lots of exercise, amazing views and a couple of valuable smiles.