In Our Words Canadians Reading Together

A Walk in the Park

JOY JANES

It’s early in the morning. The sun is just coming up. She needs time to think. She throws on an old, worn-out T-shirt and a pair of shorts, feeling a little low inside. She leaves the house and starts walking, thinking of the life she left behind- wondering if she made the right choice.

The further she walks the better she feels. She clears up a lot of things that were bothering her. She knows she has a lot going for her; she is still young, she has a good career, and she knows things can only get better.

After walking for quite a while, she decides to find a nice place in a park to sit, make plans for her future, and enjoys one of the most glorious days of spring.

She comes upon a park that’s very busy. It seems that everyone had the same idea: to get out and enjoy the warm morning sunshine. As she finds a park bench and sits very quietly, she gently closes her eyes listens to the sounds of the birds chirping, and people talking in the distance. At that moment, feeling very at peace with herself, as the sun’s rays gently caress her body, she drifts off into her thoughts…

Across town the traffic is busy with the hustle and bustle of the vehicles going this way and that, people going in and out of doors. As she comes out of her apartment door, she’s dressed in a beautiful light blue business suit. Her makeup is very carefully put on, looking like she has just walked out of a magazine.