Sunday, January 04, 2009

The Things You Find

I was just about to hop in the car this morning to go pick up the Sunday paper when I thought I'd do the right thing and walk. The local service station where I usually buy the paper is only about ten minutes walk away and there were a number of good reasons why I should use my feet instead of driving.

1) Get out of the house into the fresh air and sunshine.
2) Ask my daughter Maddie to come with me and spend a little Daddy/daughter time together.
3) Save fuel and therefore save money.
4) Save wear and tear on the car and therefore save money.
5) The exercise will do me good.
6) An adventure.

Stepping out your front door can be an adventure. I'm always reminded of a passage from The Lord of the Rings where Frodo is reminiscing about his uncle Bilbo and says, 'He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." '

So we stepped out of our door and were swept away down our street. I brought my camera with me because you also never know what you'll see. It was a nice morning, humid and slightly cloudy, but cooler than the day before. At the service station we bought the paper and Maddie was lucky to find a 5 cent piece on the floor for her money box.

Maddie then asked to go to the local creek where I'd seen a turtle a couple of months ago. When we arrived it was plain to see the height the creek had reached in the recent storms and flooding. Dead grass and broken branches were still lying at the high water mark on the creek bank and surrounding bushes.

It was then that I spotted a yellow football on the edge of the creek under some branches where it had been deposited in the flood. On wiping away some of the dirt from the ball I noticed a name written in pen on its side - 'Noah'. Ha ha! I got a good laugh out of that. Get it? Noah...flood...

Anyway, Noah's loss was our gain. Maddie and I had a chance to have a bit of a kick at the local sports ground on the way home from our morning's adventure.

Maddie with Noah's ball

1 comment:

Ken Lee said...

It sure sounds like you had a really good time.