The set up
It is a Sunday evening and with inspiration to share this morning’s walk, I’ve put on the soundtrack from the film Elegy which I watched last night and I feel my fingers burning to type up. It’s the eve before I start my new job tomorrow and the end of a long weekend I had after the end of my old job on Thursday. When I woke up this morning it was a lovely sunny Sunday and my phone – through the photo notification app – reminded me that on this day last year I was enjoying a sunny walk in a beach in Australia. I think fate and the weather have been kind with me this year and gave me this lovely sunny spring-like Sunday on February!
The walk
After indulging in a rare cappuccino and cookies breakfast at my little castle, I’ve made the decision that it was too good of a day to spent indoors or swimming at the gym and that a long due long walk in Hertford was due. And so I set off with my walking shoes and headed towards somewhere where I haven’t walked for a little while, Waterford. I decided on this walk as I needed something different from the usual walk by the river. Normally, when I walk towards that end of Hertford I end up going to Goldings Manor which is a lovely estate area. It has a picturesque bridge over the river and across green paddocks that lead to a beautiful set of luxury houses with the most scenic view that the area has to offer. After I walk around the estate and gaze the cows who are grazing in the fields, I then return via public footpaths through Bengeo before heading towards the town and the river.
But today I wanted to walk further afield and walk somewhere new. Influenced probably by my big change that is starting tomorrow, I didn’t want to do the same thing but wanted to discover something different. So I walked on a straight line towards Waterford, which is a small little village in East Hertford. This is the place that my best friend lived for a little while before she got engaged and I always pass through it in the car when I drive to Stevenage. So, I’ve kind of been there in a vehicle but haven’t actually walked there. My companion today was music and my thoughts. I guess because the music that I was listening too was quite a blend of favourite tunes and my thoughts where actually all over the place, I needed something steady, so decided to make my walk a straight line.
I cannot say that apart from the sunshine, some lovely cyclamens and the views of green fields there was anything exciting about this walk. Yet I felt quite good walking in a straight pathway after quite some time of not properly walking for pleasure. January has been quite a full month with walking mostly taking place at the gym and in London for my Saturday milonga lessons. It was a “waiting for the change to happen” month and it seemed to be going on forever and ever to the point where I felt like my new chapter would never begin. That is also how the first two weeks of February felt, and then all of a sudden I found myself living through the last day of my job and it all finally became real.
By coincidence rather than choice, my last day was Valentine’s Day. Being a true advocate of eccentricity, I found myself walking away from a relationship with my job rather than celebrating my love for it! I think that as I am yet again without a special someone in my life to give me flowers and express his never-ending love for me, experiencing an end after 11 years at the same job was very appropriate.
But these were not my thoughts while I was walking. My thoughts were taking me back to my past, reminiscing my first job, past relationships, new and old friendships and how much experience and wisdom each stage of my life has given me. I was thinking how much of myself I have given all these years and how much I have taken from others and realised that perhaps the balance hasn’t always been equal. And while I was going back to memory lane, I suddenly realised that I’ve been walking on a straight line for far too long and decided to take a break to look how far I’ve gone. When I saw that I’ve already walked over 3 miles, I thought that it was perhaps time to be reasonable and start heading back as otherwise I think I would have ended up at Stevenage!
The return
Walking back on a straight route felt a bit boring towards the end, so I took a different route when I reached town so that I could have a small deviation and get a glimpse of the river. I guess I love it so much that I cannot walk without going through it for a little while when in Hertford. I was trying to get rid of my thoughts as at some point they were overwhelming and kept me from enjoying the sunshine. Luckily, I bumped into an old colleague and her dog and the little fella’s excitement to see me and cuddles with him took away all my thoughts in the last few yards before I reached home. After over 6 miles (and three flights of steps to my attic) I returned to my little castle slightly tired but happily so. I rested for a while before having my Sunday lunch followed by an indulging session at the sofa with my book.
Tomorrow a new chapter starts for me and I feel ready, excited and anxious all at the same time. Despite the mixed feelings I wouldn’t change it for anything and I cannot wait for the new discoveries, experiences and lessons that are in store for me.
Walks and Smiles 