My Feet Are For Walking

I have recently developed a love for walking. I'm not sure if it's a phase, a new hobby, or if the ten-mile hike I went several weeks ago caused brain damage, but I keep finding myself thinking about whether a distance is too far to walk before I just automatically hop in my car. This has caused some sideways glances from my family. Case in point: I decided to walk to the movie theater on Saturday. My mother said, "You're going to be all sweaty! Don't sit close to anyone!" Seth said, "I don't think that's a good idea." Becca said, "You're going walking in flip-flops?" John said, "Do you want to take my knife?"

Then today, I went to Hobby Lobby at lunch and decided to walk since it's such a beautiful day. Note to self: always wear sensible shoes to work in case you get the urge to go walking.

Since I enjoy quotes about as much as I enjoy walking, here are some fitting ones:

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. ~Raymond Inmon

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow. ~Henry David Thoreau

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~Steven Wright

I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. ~G.M. Trevelyan

I dream of hiking into my old age. ~Marlyn Doan

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

Thoughts come clearly while one walks. ~Thomas MannWalks.

The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird. ~Jules Renard

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see. ~John Burroughs

How can you explain that you need to know that the trees are still there, and the hills and the sky? Anyone knows they are. How can you say it is time your pulse responded to another rhythm, the rhythm of the day and the season instead of the hour and the minute? No, you cannot explain. So you walk. ~Author unknown, from New York Times editorial, "The Walk," 25 October 1967

He who limps is still walking. ~Stanislaw J. Lec

Walking isn't a lost art - one must, by some means, get to the garage. ~Evan Esar

Your body is built for walking. ~Gary Yanker

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk. ~Jacqueline Schiff

We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down. ~Robert Sweetgall

If you pick 'em up, O Lord, I'll put 'em down. ~Author Unknown, "Prayer of the Tired Walker"

There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast. ~Paul Scott Mowrer, The House of Europe

After dinner sit awhile, after supper walk a mile. ~English Proverb

If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish. ~Charles Dickens

As a nation we are dedicated to keeping physically fit - and parking as close to the stadium as possible. ~Bill Vaughan

What Is Your Mother Worth?

There was a study done recently that tried to put a monetary value on everything a mother does. They determined that if you hired someone to do all the child care, cooking, cleaning, laundry, chauffeuring, counseling….that it would cost almost $135,000 per year. That’s not a bad salary, but is that really what a mother is worth? How do you put a value on things like a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, wise advice, and a love so strong she’d lay down her life for you? What about all the backrubs, kisses, and hugs? And you could never hire someone to adequately teach you either to be a woman or to love a woman, could you? Would a maid-housekeeper-cook teach you about God, pray for you every day, and sacrifice her own happiness for yours? I don’t think so. So what’s a mother worth, anyway? I’d say: Priceless.

Spinning

This crazy, blurry, spinning action shot gives a pretty good idea of how I usually feel at dance performances! The one last Saturday went quite well (quite well is not very well; I'm satisfied), and was a lot of fun.

A Commercial

In case you didn't notice the addition to my links list, there's a fantastic new blog with the intriguing name of "Puddleglum's Wigwam." Be sure to check it out.

News Story of the Day (So Far)

Where do you suppose this guy got his new shoes?

From my Inbox

What happens when a fly falls into a cup of coffee ?

1. Englishman: Throws his cup away and walks away.
2. Frenchman: Takes the insect out and drinks the coffee.
3. Chinese: Eats the insect and throws the coffee away.
4. Japanese: Drinks the coffee with the insect, since it is a free bonus.
5. American Leftist Professor: Deconstructs the narrative of the fly while protesting against its victimhood at the hands of the American Empire.
6. Israeli: Sells the coffee to the Frenchman and the insect to the Chinese, and gets himself a new cup of coffee.
7. Palestinian: Accuses the Israeli of throwing the insect into his coffee. Gets the UN and the EU to condemn the Jews for the situation. Takes a loan from EC to buy another cup of coffee and uses the rest of the proceeds to finance suicide bombings.
8. Canadian Liberal: Races for the American border to escape the new Conservative Administration in Canada and there buys a latte while defending the animal rights of all insects.

I hope the fact that I found this funny doesn't mean I'm a bigoted stereotyper. (Is that a word?)

Patriotism??

I saw a ribbon magnet on a car this morning that said, "God Bless New Orleans." My first thought was that it was rather pathetic. Why should we be asking God to bless that ruined place, especially when it was such a Sodom-and-Gomorrah type of city? But then I thought to myself, "Is it really that much different from the God Bless the USA magnet I have on my car?" I guess it's really not, because both are expressions of concern and goodwill for the chunk of the planet that you consider your home.

I think patriotism definitely has its place, and the values our country was founded upon are worth fighting for. On the other hand though, we shouldn't take it too far and start thinking that God owes America special favors or something. After all, this world is not our home.