Taking a Walk

Good evening, folks, from a basement out here in the wilds of central Minnesota. I hope that this finds you well, and feeling hearty and hale.

Just some quick thoughts which occurred to me while taking the dogs for their nightly jaunt I wanted to share with all of you, whomever may be reading this.

I try to take at least two walks a day, weather permitting (note: I have no problem walking in the snow, but will postpone a consitutional if it’s raining hard, or temperatures have taken a tumble into the single digits). I’ve been sleeping in an extra half hour these days so the first walk happens around 6:00 am, while the second one goes down after the kids go to bed, approximately 8:00, or thereabouts.

We live in a fairly nice walking neighborhood with wide streets and sidewalks. People wave or nod as I pass by, even offering a “How ya doing?” from time to time. I feel safe, welcome, a part of the community. No one harangues me nor questions why I’m walking around the neighborhood.

This made me think of the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the latest instance of a black man being murdered in this country while going about his business. And it occurred to me tonight that I regularly take for granted that I can go for a walk wherever and whenever I want to free from harassment and/or harm. And it sucks that this is still something being denied to everybody.

I don’t have any grand conclusions or solutions, and I’m not sure what I can do about things like this except to write about them, talk about them, and be honest about and aware of my privilege as much as I can.

Thanks for reading. Be kind. Be well. Take care of yourselves and each other.

-Purdy