Walking. With you…

~ Live & Learn

4:35 a.m.  73° F.  Humidity: 90%, feels like 150%.  Cove Island Park walk @ Daybreak.  439 consecutive days.  Like in a row.

Clouds hang heavy. Rain begins to spit. My Birds, are mostly in hiding this morning. As is My Sun. So I walk.

And I think…

My pre-walk readings drift in…

Yumi Sakugawa: “Most of the time, the universe speaks to us very quietly … in pockets of silence, in coincidences, in nature, in forgotten memories, in the shape of clouds, in moments of solitude, in small tugs at our hearts.”

I lip sync Y-U-M-I S-A-K-U-G-A-W-A. Love that name.

And then this one from a poem titled “Silence” by Billy Collins: “And there is the silence of this morning which I have broken with my pen…”

And this one from Roxane Gay: “Why People Are So Awful Online.” She writes “Online engagement is fueled by the hopelessness many feel when we consider the state of the world and the challenges we deal with in our day-to-day lives. Online spaces offer the hopeful fiction of a tangible cause and effect — an injustice answered by an immediate consequence. On Twitter, we can wield a small measure of power, avenge wrongs, punish villains, exalt the pure of heart…At least online, we can tell ourselves that the power imbalances between us flatten. Suddenly, we are all Goliaths in the Valley of Elah. (Yet) in our quest for this simulacrum of justice, however, we have lost all sense of proportion and scale…”

I pack up my gear, and head back to the car.

And here I sit. In front of my PC. 3,577 days (posting mostly every day, mostly in a row, every day since October 2, 2011.

~162,000 comments over this time.

I can count perhaps 10, maybe less than 10 comments, that were nasty. My contribution to cancel culture —
my blog, my comments — they are marked spam, deleted, and we move on to the overwhelmingly good.

A virtual friend sending pictures of giant Sandhill Cranes standing in her driveway.  Another sending pictures of his morning walks on beaches in the Carolinas. Another playing Words With Friends.  Others sharing Camel photos on Hump Day. (Who would have thought that this stupid ritual could go on for more than 10 years?) Others, like family, consistently showing up, cheering me on, even if the art that was presented was cringe-worthy. Others quietly liking posts in the background.

Roxane, I hear you about the awful. I get it.

But not here.

Not in this community, this Oasis from the madness. No hatred here. All perspectives kindly presented are welcome.

Dana Spiotta said it best:

“Don’t think about yourself. For the sake of decency.” 

Notes:

55 thoughts on “Walking. With you…”

    2. “Oasis” is right. It’s the total package. From humor and levity, to deep and soul reaching, and thought provoking content. You got it all DK on your little “oasis”

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  3. Congratulations on the discipline of your consistency! My guess is any negative comments came from trolls for National Geographic magazine as they sensed the competition. 😉. You are a great storyteller, DK….using words, photos and oftentimes both. A new day, without reading your blog is . . . well, like night. Keep doing it as long as it stays fun. Signed, the guy from the beach in the Carolinas ( going out on a limb and thinking that’s me🤔)

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  4. A wonderful quote by Yumi Sakugawa, David. The constant common denominator “…in moments of solitude…”. You have a great idea to walk after your reading and then make notes once the messages have had a chance to assimilate in your brain and spirit.

    Unfortunate about the “awful online.” I find as you do, how the authentic blogging community is generally kind and supportive. I agree with you “others quietly liking posts in the background.” Great post, David. Thank you for being you! You are ‘preaching to the choir’❤️

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  9. “Oasis” is right. It’s the total package. From humor and levity, to deep and soul reaching, and thought provoking content. You got it all DK on your little “oasis”

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          1. You’re too funny and sweet! Thank you. I hd one of my fav meals, king crab legs and my hubby is putting a electric fireplace in my office. I can’t wait for winter. Do you remember because your’s is right arond the corner? My memory contines to fade so I wouldn’t remember. Thanks again. 🙂

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  11. Sometimes, I am too busy/burnt to read or look in on the negative or the long. I often save your ‘blog post for the only/last viewing of the day. Your posts, your readers’ comments, and your responses make me smile, or pray.❤️ An oasis for real.

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  13. the WP community is wonderful, but what stood out to me is that not only are you out walking at 4:35 am, but that is after some pre-walk reading! please tell me you go to bed before 10:00… 🙂

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  14. Alright, I’m startin’ to get annoyed with WP–seems like sometimes your posts don’t appear in my feed until a day later. Whatthe?! At any rate, better late than never. 🙂

    Like so many others, I am *so* very grateful for this space, what I’ve come to think of as ‘our little corner of the internet universe,’ a judgement-free zone where I learn, laugh, make new friends, and rejoice in the constancy of the old. You have built a special community here, pal, and that’s all you. Keep perambulating, postulating, pestering, and prodding us to expand our minds and our hearts, pal. I’ll be with you every step of the way…. 🙂

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  15. David, you, of course, realise that this oasis, this community, this joining of beautiful and kind and alert and bright and funny and sweet and… okay, I’ll stop – I’m sure you get the picture…. What whas I saying? Oh yeah… this community of people was built by you and your generous nature. It continues to be nurtured by us because you have created a a place where we can exchange. I’ve met so many people through you.
    And, by the way… it’s your move. My time to beat you. Again.

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  16. Perhaps there really is a law of attraction David. Like attracts like. I love your oasis and giving us all time to pause. Thank you🙏
    Words with Friends? I’m up for a game or two!

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