A Walk During Work

I went on a walk yesterday during work. We’re on the fifth floor and one of the ops center’s walls is all windows, so it was easy to feel encouraged by the trees all swaying east.

I used to go for walks with coworkers at my previous company, but yesterday was my first here. I did a few laps around the building clockwise. To the right of the building when you walk out is a stone structure resembling a four pillar pavilion beneath some trees, just far enough away to feel mystical. There’s a few small cat homes and feeders underneath.

As I walked around the building it was easy to notice the wind, and I extended my hands open, palms facing forward, to feel the volume engulf them. It started raining eventually, just enough that I worried I’d look wet when I came inside - not that there’s anything wrong with going for a walk.

I have a memory of someone asking me in college if I ever just got for walks, and it was an easy “no”. Walking was meant to get places. I must not have appreciated normal moments in the natural world the way I do now. Walking around the building for 10 minutes yesterday felt like an adventure.

I’m confident that my moments are much fuller in this phase of life compared to all other phases though I think it might be nice to know how steep the contrast is. The upside to changes becoming the new baseline is that when life takes a negative turn, that contrast also dissipates.