TIME FLIES LIKE AN ARROW...FRUIT FLIES LIKE ...OH YOU KNOW...DON'T MAKE ME SAY IT.
OK OK OK...A BANANA!!!HAHAHA.SERIOUSLY,TIME FLIES.
It was slow at work today so when lunch time rolled around I was offered the afternoon off. Considering I had laid in bed this morning insulated and loved by dogs, trying to figure out a way to call in sick-I jumped at the opportunity...well not really jumped,it was more like a "oh yeah? sure I suppose" cool response. The springs were still retensing on the time clock as I drove out of the parking lot. I have to keep up appearances after all.
I figured I'd take advantage of a most beautiful day and do my walk early and stopped at the hike and bike trail on my way home and did exactly that.
I noticed some things right away...actually the lack of things...specifically hordes of people,some running,some walking,some running with those obscene baby carriages almost as wide as the trail and geared out like a mountain bike with one or more children eating trail mix and drinking dasani water.(come on!TRAIL MIX???Give me a break.) Oh yeah...I almost forgot the guys speeding through this mass of humanity on bikes.Traffic so thick you'd swear you were in grand central station during commute instead of on the town lake hike and bike trail in hallowed Austin Tx. (Don't believe the hype and please don't move here...Austin,the REAL Austin died a long time ago) But I digress...
I also noticed an increase in animal activity...there were herons fishing and ducks diving for food,squirrels everywhere foraging,Turtles sunning everywhere...(this trail circles town lake AKA the colorado river)...you don't see this when the "commute" is on. It was awesome.
I was about a mile and a half into my 4.1 mile loop,when someone jogged up, put his hand on my shoulder and said," I saw all those tattoos and I knew it had to be you".
(I could never "disappear" if you know what I mean).
I knew who it was before I turned around...instant recognition from the sound of his voice,a voice from the past...Albert from the old days...I first heard that voice some 20 years ago when we worked together at a treatment center...He ended up working for some UN related organization or something and worked with people in Hong Kong and Viet Nam initially,ending up in the Balkans...I did'nt get to see him much during those years,but when he came to town we would always get together, even for a few hours.
We finished my walk together,catching up with news,most of it good,some of it bad...it was like we'd seen each other yesterday intead of 5 years,maybe 6 years ago.
I'm glad I took the afternoon off, I got a reminder that some of life's little surprises are good ones.