When you go for a walk, what do you see? A new appreciation for the mundane

#TeenEssay

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, you have to get used to the kind of rain that will last from sunrise to sunset. I think I have only noticed the rain more over the last three years because I got a wonderful thing called a dog.

Now, this is not some little lap dog that gets tired after a single lap around the block. No. I have a labradoodle who needs at least an hour walk everyday.

So, when the month of April turned into classic Oregon spring weather, I still had to take my dog on a walk. I tried waiting for the rain to stop.

As a matter of fact, I waited all morning. Then, I checked the weather app only to find out that I was going to have to go out in the rain no matter how long I waited. So, I geared up with a long rain jacket, trusty umbrella, and went out.

But, I am not here to tell you about the dreary weather we have been having this month. I am here to say that this walk was the best walk of 2023!

I left my walking-companion-headphones in the house and just listened to the constant pitter-patter of rain over my head. It was almost surreal to just walk in sheets of rain without being touched.

I came to notice all the little parts of the forest that really sparkled when it rained. Every little thing I added to a growing list of things I was grateful for that day.

It is always incredibly pleasant to find joy and intrigue in what you see everyday, something mundane and unworthy of a second glance under normal circumstances.

Maybe I should phrase this hour of my life not as a walk, but as a meditative experience (that included a semi-hyper labradoodle). Because of this amazing experience, I suggest to all who read this to try going out too.

Go out today, or tomorrow if today has already slipped your reach, and let your eye stray onto the things that blend in. Look at your blooming planters, the house down the block, the parent picking up their kid after school, or a pen that just glides across the paper. Notice. Look. Be grateful.

Elisabeth Dellit is a 10th Grader at Jesuit High School. She enjoys reading, writing creative stories, baking/cooking and participating in her school’s drama program.