Who will walk a mile with me

I went out to walk at Parklands yesterday. I haven't been there in ages mostly because I had internalized the fears of other people about ticks and snakes, neither of which I have ever had a problem with in the past.

I probably should have paid more attention to the weather. It was hot and very muggy, but I only intended to walk fifteen or twenty minutes in and then back. That would accomplish my goal of walking thirty minutes a day.

Right after I arrived a  deer came leaping through the woods on my left. At first I thought it was a dog, but dogs are not allowed in Parklands and this was huge. Leaping four feet in the air in great bounds it was there and gone in seconds. I don't even know if it was a doe or a stag, but I do know it was a deer.

There were little black and yellow butterflies, lots of monte casino and humidity. Did I mention it was almost unbearably hot and muggy. I was panting away when I saw another person coming down a trail that runs along the river.

I really did not want to talk to anyone so I tried slowing down. It became obvious that no matter what I did, we would intersect, so I sat down on a bench and pretended to be very interested in something on the ground behind me. A voice said, "Hi."

Turns out he was a young professor who did some kind of creative film or television work. He had just come from New York and was interviewing in two different places nearby. He said his parents also lived locally and he wanted to be around them before it was the bitter end and they couldn't do anything. I told him where my children lived. He told me about some of his camping adventures. I told him about the time I stood so close to flying geese that I could feel the wind beneath their wings.

He referred to people in their fifties several times. His old landlord, his parents, one of his professors and I finally said that I spent the first fifty years of my life as a fairly traditional sedate person, but the last twenty had been more fun.

He was shocked that I am nearly seventy years old. I was thrilled he felt that way! We reached our cars and I left as he went to find his camera before going back in.