Saturday, September 24, 2011

Joseph Wood Krutch: more from Baja California

from Baja California

"Even an amateur like myself will seldom lack something to see if he will only look. 'Lift up thine eyes unto the hills' is a religious exhortation. 'Go thou to the ant, thou sluggard,' is a scientific one. And, at least for certain temperaments, it is the more fruitful. Because I obey it, the place where I am is never really the same place two days in succession, and I can take every morning the same short walk down a certain wood road because it is not really the same walk."



I should start up my walking routine again. I can feel my muscles atrophying--spending too much time at the keyboard and too little on my feet. But, I find walking boring, at least in the residential area of Tucson where I have been living for decades. Perhaps I should try Krutch's technique and see if every day does give me a different walk, even if it's the same sidewalks. Look for differences instead of seeing only the same things again and again.

2 comments:

  1. Fred,

    I have found this to be true, if I look at a familiar area with new eyes. I find it even better if I walk during a time that a lot of people aren't out and about. In my suburban neighborhood I've seen turtles, toads, cats, deer, bats, squirrels and foxes - though not every day.

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  2. Cheryl,

    I shall have to try pay more attention to what's about me. Perhaps my inattention is why there's never anything interesting to see around here.

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