New beginnings ?

I just took a walk, a rather long contemplative one. I had a lot to think about because, well, I've made some big changes as of late. The walk was on a wooded trail. The sun cheery as it fell through the leaves in blotches. The trail was quiet, much more so than I'm used to, but that's because I'm no longer walking in Central Park. I'm in Maryland, staying with family. I got a job in DC. Not just a job, my dream job, actually. Very exciting. Quite unbelievable. A little strange.

Strange that I'm not still in New York. Strange that I left behind friends and a boyfriend and am essentially starting a new life. As soon as I wrote that last sentence, I questioned it and remembered a quote I wrote on a mirror in my old apartment: "I am constantly creating my life." So perhaps it's not a new life any more so than every day of my life. But it sure feels different.

Back to the walk: I paused on a bridge over a small stream. Arms crossed and leaning on the rail of the bridge, hip jutting to one side, I looked up at the sunlight, the light and dark green leaves. I looked down at the water and then let my gaze wander. (I had just finished reading "Dances With Wolves," so I was feeling particularly attuned to nature.) 

When I looked back down at the stream. I looked at the parts, not just the whole. I noticed a little bunch of leaves caught on a submerged stick, flapping in the modest current. Then, a handful of minnows swimming upstream. Lastly, a carefully designed spider's web stretching between branches, hovering above the surface of the water, prettily.

Sometimes the more intently you look, the easier it is to see things. Beautiful little things. I plan look closely at new things in the future, whether starting a new job or just out for a stroll.