A Memorable September Morning

Okay. Technically, it's not September yet. Today is August 30. But today, in the crisp autumn-like chill of the sunny air, I experienced the perfect September morning two days early.

I was entertaining myself on my usual walk to work by listening in my head to vintage Carly Simon - “Coming Around Again/Itsy Bitsy Spider” - and enjoying my pace, my song and my scenery. Not much was happening in the neighborhood except the usual doings of the crows and squirrels. Then in the block ahead a saw an older gentleman shuffle into view from a side street, moving excruciatingly slowly with a walker and oxygen, wearing a bright red shirt, dark shorts and (of course) dark socks with his white running shoes. He'd barely moved ahead two meters by the time I came up to him and said in passing, 'what a great day for walking'.  'Yes', he said. 'And a great day for learning to walk'. We talked for a few seconds about how lucky we were and just as I moved past, a cyclist appeared beside us, ever so slowly pedaling up the steepish incline, suited up worthy of the Tour de France but grinning sheepishly at his own slowness. It's a good day for cycling too, we all agreed. Still pondering the unlikelihood of the three of us meeting up so fortuitously on an otherwise empty street, I turned the corner and come up upon a woman pushing a toddler cozily tucked into a stroller. They had stopped for a minute, talking in a language unfamiliar to me, adjusting the little one's knitted blanket. They switched to English to smile and say hello and as I turned to continue on my way, the baby looked curiously over the side of her ride and asked, “puddles?”. “No honey”, no puddles today. The sun is shining today.” Yay! No puddles today! Day before yesterday, I ran umbrella-less and coat-less in a sudden morning downpour for what seemed like mile long stretches between the trees on my route, to stand catching my breath for a minute or two before running on (I'd like to say 'like the wind', but probably not) for the next opportunity to take cover, arriving at work looking like I had swum there.

But not today! Today there were no puddles. And there we were, five of us doing our thing. Each enjoying and celebrating our own state of grace. Someone learning to walk again, someone learning to walk at all, someone working tired muscles to make it up the hill. Five ordinary people going about our ordinary Thursday business, finding it just a little easier on a perfect morning. Five children of God unexpectedly connecting in a moment in time on a day when there was not a single puddle in sight. Every day is a good day, but a day without puddles is spectacular!