A Day For Walking

Sometimes, I have hard days.
And yesterday was one of them. See, I have this thing that I do, when I'm really tired. I sleep through my alarm. Well, to be more accurate, I less than half wake up, turn off my alarm, and then less than half go back to full slumber. In no way during this process am I coherent at all. This is hard to get people to believe, and for good reason. It is why I must maintain healthy sleeping habits.

The real problem is, I had plans with someone, and they were reasonably upset, as they should have been. But then this caused me to be upset, and distraught, and anxious and guilty, most of this based on past emotions and previous personal struggles. I didn't know how else to resolve this within myself, so I shortly decided that this was a day for walking, and I began, with nowhere in mind. I ended up walking a couple of miles down highway 99, an experience that I found to be a little unsettling. See, when I'm in a car, I watch people that walk along the road. And I could just imagine all the eyes of the people boring into the back of my head, which I'm sure they weren't.

In downtown Oregon City, there were so many beautiful things that I had not ever observed merely by driving through it. I just looked around and was amazed. I had forgotten how much fun walking could be.
By the end of it all, I was tired, much more content, two blisters had taken up residence on the bottom of my feet, and hunger was just now shaking in my stomach.

When all of these things combine together, there is only ever one thing that should be eaten, so upon arriving home, I assembled it. A bacon peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You, too should make one, to experience unprecedented culinary delight. Here's how:

Peanut butter and Marionberry preserves sandwich with Bacon

2 slices of fluffy white bread (or any bread. I'm sure honey wheat would do well, also)
Creamy peanut butter
Marionberry preserves
4 slices Bacon, any bacon at all
Butter

Generously spread peanut butter on one bread slice. Scoop mounds of lovely marionberry preserves on the other, and spread them out thinly. Over medium high heat, cook the bacon until it has become a crisp burgundy with perhaps a few dark edges. Press into the peanut butter and assemble the slices of bread together.

Butter the outsides of the sandwich, and grill over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until it has become well toasted and the peanut butter has gone all melty and smooth.
Serves 1 person or 1/2 of a person. I could eat two of these on any given day.

At the end of the day, I sat, and I counted my blessings:
1.Good music
2.A lovely, encouraging talk with a great friend
3.Walking tunnels near waterfalls with beautiful acoustics with nobody around (singing permitted)
4.Beautiful downtown Oregon City
5.Finding my favorite new book "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" at a bookstore for two dollars. I purchased it.
6.A park with swings
7.My favorite type of weather for walking
8.Singer Hill art garden. I wandered around for too long in there.
9.More good conversation
10.Good food
11.Waterfalls
12.Having a sister

In the end, I have to know that my day started off badly. With tears, frustration, over-reaction and far too much anxiety for the current circumstances. But so many more were the blessings than the trials.
God showed me so much of His character on that walk. He introduced thoughts of Himself into my weary mind, helped me to ponder. His nature is that of a giver. He is so much to be grateful for, everything to be grateful for, in the end. And yet, so easily forgotten in the midst of the first uneasiness.
He is a patient teacher, a Father, a Friend.