Loops

I've been doing a lot of walking lately. For one, it is good for me. Two, good for my dog. Three, it is a nice time away from the noise that permeates my life. I'm not saying that the people I live with are loud, but walking gives me a chance to be quiet - away from T.V., computer, books, work, and hobbies. To make my walks more interesting, I don't take the same route every day. When I find myself getting tired of the varied loops I have made around my neighborhood, I branch out to other neighborhoods. Soon those loops become apart of my collection of possible loops that I can take everyday. One thing that I notice is that when I go down a road I have never traveled before, everything looks new. The houses might look similar to the ones I have walked past before, but they are still different. The road seems longer, and things seem foreign. When I walk it the second time I know what to expect. I know where the end of the road is, what all the possible cut offs are to another road, and the houses start looking more familiar. Every time that I branch off into another area of town I become more familiar with it, and in turn things doing seem so big anymore.

I feel like, in my life I am at a point where I need to add to my loops to my collection. I feel like I am standing at a four way intersection. If I take a left, I will continue on a loop I have been on many times before. The loop is as familiar as the back of my hand. If go straight, I will take a path that I have only traveled once or twice. I know where it is going, I know how long it will take me, and all the houses seem a lot less foreign. If I go right, I venture into a whole new neighborhood where the houses are different, and I don't know where the other streets lead. They may lead to a dead end, they may lead to a new loop, they may even continue on with no place to turn around. I guess if I go right, I will at least have my dog with me to keep me company.