Good evening, everyone!

I began tonight's walk in a lousy mood. As I pulled on my walking shoes, I was grumbling at Emily for her little "thank you for keeping me accountable post". I read it at 9:19 PM, approximately 2 minutes after she posted it, and by 9:20 I was out the door and on my way down my street - procrastinator extraordinaire that I am.

It was a little chilly, but the stars were out and it was really pretty. We moved to this neighborhood in October, and I had never walked it at night before. Since we don't have a lot of street lights out here, it was kind of dark - so I took the opportunity to focus on what I could perceive with my other senses.

I heard: dogs barking, train whistles, neighbors' TV sets, cars on the nearby highway, gravel crunching under my feet.

I smelled: freshly turned dirt, fabric softener, or maybe dryer sheets (someone was doing laundry), gasoline (as I neared the corner convenience store).

I could feel: tingling in my fingers and itching in my legs as I picked up my pace and got some blood flow going.

I could taste: minty toothpaste - I had just cleaned up from dinner and was about to get into my pajamas and settle in for the night when I sat down at the computer for just a minute to check my email. That led to the invitation to join this blog, which led to reading Emily's post, and there you have it.

I began tonight's walk in a lousy mood. I finished it eternally grateful for the gifts of sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and yes, two sturdy legs for WALKING! Thank you, God, for tonight's little break from my constant agonizing over what my spiritual gifts might be - thank you for the reminder of the gift of my senses and how amazing they are!