Today’s Fast, Pray, Give focused on being aware of the beauty in the world around us. It encouraged us to take a moment to slow down, to pray that God might show us something beautiful that we haven’t noticed before, and to give some time to enjoy art or nature.
So when Sadie came bounding in to the office, with an expectant look on her face, I thought going for a walk in the arroyo behind our house would be a good way to spend my first day of Lent. The above photo is part of the arroyo that Sadie and I walked across during our afternoon adventure. It felt good to get away from the computer, go for a walk, watch how excited a dog can get by a stream of water or by the rustling of a potential squirrel in the grass. I tried to be aware of my surroundings and realized how cool palm trees are and how big some of the ones around here are.
It’s funny how something as simple and easy as getting outside and going for a walk can both help me take a moment to realize that there are more important things than work and all the stuff that I spend time on, and help ground me. And it was clear that Sadie was quite fond of the idea as well. I think she’s a fan of Lent so far.