Long Walks
I went for a walk today. That was how it started. I just got some stuff together and walked over to a friend's off-campus house. It was incredibly sunny and beautiful, and though I knew that I would need to do homework, I could not resist the spring outside.
At Jenni's I plopped my stuff and myself down and convinced her and her roommate to come with me on a walk around Upland. After all, we are young and alive and it is spring. I wasn't even wearing a coat.
They agreed, sweet girls that they are, and we set off.
Equipped with my brilliant sense of direction, I was lost almost before we left their front porch. Jenni, however, is from Colorado and could get us from here to Tokyo in a blizzard on a dogsled.
We walked for a while, stopping to swing at Upland Elementary, where young children pointed and laughed at the big kids who seemed to be worshipping the sun.
At this point, I was feeling pleasantly tired and ready to head back for a nice snack (maybe even a nap) before beginning my homework.
This was not to be.
Jenni and Hannah trekked on, and I, having no idea where we were, followed. This went on for some time. The sun slipped behind a cloud making Hannah and I (who had brazenly left our coats at home) shiver and cling to one another and made Jenni rejoice in her choice to wear a fleece.
We kept walking.
My head started hurting and my legs started getting sore. Honestly, I thought I was in pretty good shape.
I linked arms with Hannah and Jenni and we continued on our way, Jenni led us to turn right or left occasionally. I giggled at one point and asked if they were taking me away to a secluded spot to kill me.
"Yes," they said, in unison.
Finally, we made it back and I proceeded to eat several pretzels very quickly before sitting down. We had been gone for an hour and 45 minutes.
"I need to work out more," I said to my two companions who didn't seem fazed in the least.
I still feel a little like I've been hit with a load of bricks, oh well. Maybe this is a bit of what spring is all about...