Ever since my college days, I’ve taken night-time solo walks to clear my head.  The fresh air, the quiet, and the solitude seem to help.

I can chalk up my white-male-privilage to never being afraid on my walks and never being questioned.  Whether it was around campus or around my neighborhood, I could walk until I was tired or had sorted out whatever was bothering me.

The neighborhood where we live now is a maze of quiet streets.  No sidewalks and few lights, but safe enough from the cars, I guess.  If I want a purposeful walk, I can travel about a mile away and reach the post office or the local Target.  I’ll sometimes compose my daily haiku on these walks.

And while I don’t mind the heat or the cold – or even the snow – it’s miserable to walk any distance in the rain. 

The past few…well, pick a unit of time… have been difficult.  Work has been stressing me out and I can’t seem to let it go.  There’s so much uncertainty with…well, pick a unit of size…and I’m just worn out by the effort of not dwelling on things. 

So, I’ve needed my night-time walks, but the last few times I’ve tried it has started to rain not long after I had set out.  Instead of a peaceful trip, I’m trying to dodge puddles in the dark and constantly adjusting the hood of my jacket so I can see and still keep the rain off of my head. It stops being useful quickly and I just give up and go home.    And then I’m still miserable and tense that I’ve been “thwarted” by the weather.

I wonder how far I would have to walk to really feel better?  To let everything go and just feel a little peace?

Pretty damn far, I’d guess.