Walking, praying, singing…

Ever since we’ve gotten back from Austria I’ve been hard at work trying to reclaim my health. (Or even improve it over where I was when we left for Vienna.) One piece of that has meant trying to get in a good, long walk every day. We live only 10 minutes from the Mississippi River, so using that as a “destination” has been good for me.

I've discovered that one way to keep myself motivated has been to take along an iPod and listen to whole albums of music, something I rarely have the time for in any other context. It's been wonderful! This morning I was walking rapidly along, the chilly breeze whipping past my ears, mostly lost in the joy and sorrow of the Dixie Chicks' album "Taking the Long Way."

The leaves on the trees by the river were gloriously bright in the gray of an approaching storm, the wind smelled fresh (if cold), and the music just flowed through my veins. I think that this may be the purest gratitude I've felt in a while, with my heart pounding as I walked and the choruses of these talented women beating through my ears. It felt good to be alive amidst the wonder of God's creation. I think these walks are becoming my favorite form of prayer, and I agree with TheCorner when he suggests that a "music bath" does for the soul what a water bath does for the body!