Walking Prayers

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."  Emily Dickinson

“None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze.”
― Frédéric Gros, A Philosophy of Walking

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One of my favorite things about fall is going on long walks. Sometimes I even sheepishly manage to sneak out without my three dogs.
Once the mugginess of summer has subsided and those cool, dry breezes set in,  I feel like a child- breathing in the air, thankful for my blessings and the beauty around me, noticing the bustling habitats that exist and thrive right along with us, unseen, every day. 
Walking makes me feel connected to nature, God, and myself in ways I simply cannot otherwise. 
So this week I am taking note and not just thinking about  what I experience, but writing about and painting the small things that get my attention and inspire me as I get out and walk. Hope you come along! I would love to read and see what treasures you find outside on these glorious fall days! Please post in the comments!