{"id":265,"date":"2016-08-11T23:30:28","date_gmt":"2016-08-11T23:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/?p=265"},"modified":"2017-02-23T18:43:25","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T18:43:25","slug":"everyday-pathway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/?p=265","title":{"rendered":"Everyday Pathway"},"content":{"rendered":"

To allow my senses the opportunity to consume life all around me is one of the greatest gifts I can give myself.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I walk to the beach just about every day, along a trusted path that has become reliable and revealing. \u00a0While I set my pace, I wander past nearby houses, each providing a familiar feeling. \u00a0Overgrown green hedges with dainty blue flowers intrigue me, ruby red geraniums in pots electrify me, and tattered prayer flags draped around a palm tree quiet me. \u00a0An unruffled tabby cat named Murphy, saunters beside me. \u00a0I meander on past a broken, brick pathway and a little green gate. The two-foot wide and two-foot high gate, always puzzles me, as it seems to serve no function. \u00a0Who would use it?<\/span><\/p>\n

My stride is steady, but the unevenness of the asphalt in my neighborhood keeps me aware of each footstep. \u00a0After joining the concrete walkway, it soon empties me into a hectic intersection. \u00a0Immediately, I become agitated with motorized vehicles rushing and racing past me. \u00a0My peaceful neighborhood has been left behind, now the commotion of activity rouses me from my ruminations. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once I make my way past the noise disturbance, a canopy of Torrey Pines shelter me from the sun. \u00a0I stroll past a stylish beach hotel with aged stone pavers. \u00a0Vacationers are pampered with strawberry smoothies on the pool deck lined with Crayola-orange canvas. \u00a0My inner compass directs me to follow the winding path loaded with wildflowers and native grasses. \u00a0The pathway veers right, and I slow my gait as I go down nineteen sandy steps with a rusted railing for support. \u00a0An old train depot appears on my right stimulating thoughts of untold stories, and decades of families traversing the same path to a playful day at the sea. <\/span><\/p>\n

I sneak across the train tracks to cross the two-lane coastal route in front of me. \u00a0I stop and grin. \u00a0My destination peers at me with its shimmering nature. \u00a0An expansive spread of aqua-blue water welcomes me while the wind whispers a calming tune. \u00a0The fragrance of salty sea forces my head down from the cloudscape to the beauty of reality. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seagulls squawk, as the ocean rolls and roars in real-time music. \u00a0The rhythm of the waves joining the shoreline synchronizes with the laughter echoing from beach-goers. \u00a0The sandpipers forge forward and retreat with each change of the waterline. \u00a0The coconut-laced aroma of sunscreen wafts me to the tropics. \u00a0My toes touch the sandy beach and my soles are soothed. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Along the shoreline, some of my favorite finds are sand dollars, moon shells, flat scallops, and knobby whelks; all slightly submerged not looking to be found, only admired. \u00a0These marine mollusks lay and lurk, asking nothing of me. \u00a0I think of their everyday path. \u00a0What familiarity did they leave, and why? \u00a0As their shells all tell a story of travel, I wonder what created their outer beauty? \u00a0\u00a0What commotion did they experience to arrive at our mutual destination? \u00a0I admire each detail on their hard, protective outer layers. \u00a0Their presence creates movement in my mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is up to me to find the randomness in this routine walk I take each day. \u00a0I continue to move along and recognize the uncomfortable conversation I begin to have with myself. Life, and death, have a natural way of reminding me to stay aware. \u00a0Either to notice the unchanged or to recognize differences. Change is part of everything living, whether I like it or not, it will take place with or without my approval. It may be something small (such as the rusty nail or tourist asking for directions) or significant (such as a dolphin washed upon shore).<\/span><\/p>\n

As a writer, this daily walk offers clues when I feel stuck. \u00a0Meaning is found in the most unassuming places. \u00a0I am encouraged every day to find significance in each moment and openly embrace the certainty and uncertainty it presents. \u00a0This pathway, my pathway, continues to ignite ideas within me, every day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Shannon Hogan Cohen 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To allow my senses the opportunity to consume life all around me is one of the greatest gifts I can give myself. I walk to the beach just about every day, along a trusted path that has become reliable and revealing. \u00a0While I set my pace, I wander past nearby houses, each providing a familiar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,27,5,1,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-empowerment","category-inspire","category-reflection","category-self","category-uncategorized","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":313,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions\/313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prolificpreambles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}