Random thoughts while walking

When I worked at MDU, my mornings often began before sun up. It was better that I worked early to catch up on backlogs when my little boys were asleep. Then I could be home with them after work to eat and play.

Now the boys are grown, but their needs have largely been replaced by a Grandpa who likes to eat and be with Steve in the evenings, whether it's reading, playing Scrabble or watching another baseball game on TV.

But instead of going to work early, I now go for my therapeutic walks early. I get up at 5:30 a.m. Now that it's getting colder, it takes me about 10 minutes to get dressed in layers so that I stay warm on my four-mile hike west on second street and east on first street until I reach home.

Grandpa and the rest of my family are sleeping, so I'm not taking away any "quality" time from them by being gone. Right before I leave the house, I take a drink of water and pop two pieces of peppermint gum in mouth so that I won't get thirsty on my walk.

Walking alone leaves me with an hour or so of solitude as I trudge down the streets, dimly lit by street lights that are often shadowed by tall trees. For some of the time, I pray about this or that, but its hard to pray, walk, and chew gum at the same time. So sometimes I think about songs that talk about walking.

My favorite is probably "In the Garden." I like the part where it says, "He walks with me and talks with me...and tell me I am his own." That helps me to feel less alone -- especially when I reach the west end of town farthest from my house and I hear dogs barking and growling from a farm nearby.

Today, however, another song came to mind. It's from the Disney movie, "Snow White." You know the song, when the Dwarfs (now known as little people) are heading of to work and they sing "Hi, Ho...Hi, Ho...it's off to work I go."

Well, in my version, the song goes like this: "I eat, I eat, so off to walk I go...I don't walk fast, I take it slow...hi, ho...hi, ho"

Don't laugh...it beats being chased by dogs.