Fallow ground

It’s a common literary trope to have a main character walk for miles when they have a problem to mull over. Until recently, I hadn’t tried it myself.

But I am in a strange season of my life. My job has eased up for a couple of weeks and suddenly I find myself with evenings and weekends free. I’ve used that time to dig into a number of those “important but not urgent” tasks that languish on my to-do list. My basement is cleaned out. Bags of old clothes have been donated. Books have been read.

And I’ve walked. Every day, rain or shine (and, to be frank, it has been more rain than shine) I’ve prowled through my neighborhood, sometimes for an hour or more, several times a day. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, or what I’m mulling over exactly, but I have an acute need to move.

Today dawned bright and very cold. Gloves and iPhone photography don’t go together very well, but I managed a few shots of the remaining fall color.

  

Even as the sun rose to the east, the moon hung vivid in the west. Whenever the overcast let up this month, you could see the moon glowing brightly in the October blue sky.

More and more, the trees are showing their architecture and the neighborhood is returning to its minimalist winter mode.

But today, a snippet of a Bible verse coasted through my head: “break up your fallow ground.” Perhaps that’s what all these miles are about. Each step, each project tackled is opening up new, fecund mental space. And finally, I’m able to look around and SEE. See what’s going on right in front of me, both figuratively, and literally.

Now…. what to plant in that fertile soil?

All shots by me with an iPhone. No filters.