I wanted to pick up a specific book. Taking stock of where I was, Greenwich and Grant, I headed for the Barnes and Noble on Bay Street. After wandering around without success, I sought someone to help. No luck. The only store in memory was down town, but I knew I could walk the distance in fifteen to twenty minutes. As I strolled the first old neighborhood I remembered lunch escapes and shopping adventures. The next one brought a flood of memories walking with friends to specific destinations and working together to accomplish a mission at hand. Crossing over a few blocks and my old haunts for great snacks came into view.
In many ways the stroll down memory lane was also a wake-up call. I am not the same as I was 15+ years ago. Things are different! There is the obvious – my old employer doesn’t live in the same place anymore, they moved to North Carolina. Many of the small stores have sold out or become a victim to ever increasing rents. Traffic seems to be more intense. New designers and major companies have showcase stores where offices used to hold court. Even the museums and baseball park are in new locations where abandoned buildings and fields sat idle!
As significant as these changes are, they are not the most vivid. I am different. My interests are become more singular, my focus more specific. I knew even before my walk that there is only one thing that is important – God and His relationship to and with me. “I make as much of this as I can…hoping they’ll [anyone will] realize what they’re missing and want to get in on what God is doing.” (Romans 11.14)
Even beyond the fact that my soul is at risk when I am not in relationship with God, I want the relationship for more important reasons. I want to know my creator, I want to get everything possible out of life, and I have a want to help others on their journeys where possible.
It is a great walk.
