Footprints in the Woods

Winter Woods

I have walked for several seasons in the woods of Kirkridge. I never really thought about who else was on the trail. Except once, when there was a truck parked out by the Magazine Building. On that occasion I was a bit frightened - unsure if the person was a friend or someone who might harm me, alone on the path. 

Then, one day this winter I saw footprints. The idea of a fellow traveler on the path made me pause and think -  who was this other traveler? One question led to another each day as I ventured out with Tootsie. I followed the footsteps. Somedays there were no other footprints until I was well into the woods. Some days this caused me to be afraid - other days it was an exciting adventure. In time I actually got the courage to follow the tracks. It was a cold, sunny day - the woods were filled with the abundance of winter; snow, animal tracks, babbling brooks, and a woodpecker. I left my usual trail and followed the tracks onto a path I had never traveled. 

Following these footprints in the woods became an absorbing exercise. I found new ways to navigate the trees that had fallen across the path during the hurricane this fall. I reveled in places I would not have ventured on my own. The footprints seemed to invite me to explore places I had been unsure of traveling. The footprints became a metaphor of sorts for this journey I have been on this year. Without the snow - I didn’t really think about who was on the path. 

Today I am stretching my wings and visiting places I never had the courage to travel. Most days I wander alone. Other days I walk with friends and loved ones. As I traveled this winter I wondered if the footprints were a friend or a foe. Turns out it was a friend. I met him in the woods one day and we talked about the journey, footprints, and how we both wondered about the other. We never really know though, when we venture out, who will be on our path. Life is like that - and the best we can do is to walk the path with intention and authenticity. Maybe that is the lesson in my metaphor - to hear others and to listen to our own voice. Travel lightly as we share the journey.