Night Walkers

Last night I joined a friend for an impromptu night walk through her neighborhood. I love to go for walks, but I am generally a day walker. Mostly a morning walker, occasionally an afternoon walker, but so very seldom a night walker. Yes, I have my dog that I could walk at night, but she is a sleepy dog. If it is dark Miss Ninja is curled up on her bed fast asleep. In fact I generally walk alone or with a dog, so a human walking partner is a rare and very enjoyable treat for me.

Anyway, night walking. It is a different world at night. The air is clear and brisk. The street lights cast shadows, some spooky, some ethereal. A few times both of us jumped because we saw our own shadows oddly cast by a passing car's headlights. Yes, that is silly. Perhaps that was the best part of the night walk. The sheer silliness that the darkness afforded us. We were walking, talking, and gesturing more wildly than a person would in the daylight. Maybe so we could see each other, or maybe because gesturing wildly is fun, but also embarrassing at times. I can not tell you what we talked about, because of privacy and the sheer number of topics we covered. I can tell you there is nothing better than having a friend that listens and shares without judgement. We talked about the things in life that burden us, and somehow through talking and walking we moved through our burdens. Just by giving those things a voice, it was possible to walk past them. Not that we solved any great issues, but somehow those issues became smaller in the cold, dark, night air.

Night walking with a friend may become my new favorite way to exercise. Sure, I get my thoughts sorted out, and my daily attack plan solidified when I walk alone. Solo walking is very purpose driven for me. However, when I walked with my friend I got my spirits lifted, my burdens lightened, inner peace restored, and my soul is still singing the praises of night walking.