The sun was shining. The temperature was 66. The outdoors were calling me.
I went for a walk this afternoon, probably the last walk of the year with cold weather coming in, so I wanted to take my time and enjoy it. It was bright and sunny, a good day to head down to the beach and back—about a two-mile round trip—and warm enough that I skipped my jacket and headed straight out the door.
As I walked down the driveway to the road, it occurred to me that there was one other result of my going for a walk: I was escaping the constant presence of technology around me. I had my phone in my pocket, but my laptop, music, the Internet… everything else was left sitting in my room. I figured it could wait for me until I got back.
There was a lot more than just technology outside. Sure, there were cars driving by and the noisy whine of leaf blowers, but I could also hear the chirping of birds and rustling of fallen leaves blown by the wind. People riding their bikes and walking their dogs. The warmth of the sun and coolness of the breeze. As I walked, I tried to relax my mind and just absorb everything that was happening around me as opposed to my regularly-scheduled staring at a computer screen for hours at a time.
When I finally got to the beach, I could see small waves that were blowing across the lake, pushing everything toward shore to my left. Part of that “everything” were ducks. Dozens upon dozens of ducks. There could have been a few hundred, but I was too busy appreciating the sight to count. I sat down at a picnic table and just watched them float. A few were straight in front of me at the beach, but most had drifted down the shoreline, very relaxed and probably enjoying the warm weather as much as I was.
Part of me was tempted to pull out my phone and take a picture. Turn on the camera app, use my fingers to zoom in closer to all the little black dots on the water, then show it to other people later. Sometimes, that temptation turns into almost a moral obligation:
This afternoon, I decided that it was mine. I was going to take in the sight and I was going to remember it for myself. Screw technology. I had the option of looking at it on a tiny screen on my phone, but Nature was giving me this gift, so I was going to honor it accordingly. I sat at that table for a while, then got up and walked home.
I got inside, sat down in front of my laptop, started typing, turned on some music, eventually went upstairs and watched a basketball game on TV. Technology was indeed waiting for me when I got back. While I was walking along the road and sitting at the beach, though… that’s something only nature can provide and I’m glad I took the time today to appreciate it.
