Peregrination 8

Went on the Saratoga Gap Trail @ Castle Rock today in search of the waterfall. Totally missed it and wound up trekking 3.4 miles instead of the planned 1.6 miles. Didn't think i had it in me.

A lot of bees. Glad i had the good sense (and memory) not to have worn perfume!

Lots of hikers and most yapped too much for my taste. How about listening to the water, the wind, the birds... your breathing? (In my case, gasping for air.) I don't understand why people associate silence with awkwardness. Silence can be rhodium!

These two guys who were consistently a few yards behind me just would not shut up. The topic? Of all things, work! Are you serious? Don't you come to nature to escape that shit?

There was, however, one delightful anecdote:

Adam asked Bill, "How would you build a growing relationship with clients in their 40's and 50's?" (I rolled my eyes.)

"I'd take them drinking," replied Bill.

The corner of my mouth twitched in lieu of a smile.

After i turned around upon realizing i had passed the waterfall in oblivion, i encountered an attractive young man who asked me where i was going. I must've looked puzzled. He was well-equipped like a serious hiker, donning bright blue and a yellow cap.

I explained the scenario. He assured me i would arrive at my destination in 5 to 10 minutes.

That must've been the equivalence of helping an old lady cross the street, huh?

I noticed he wasn't wearing shoes. Pointing at his feet, i asked, "Doesn't it hurt to travel barefoot?"

He stood on one foot and examined the bottom of the other. He shook his head. "You should try it sometime," he said with a grin. Then he offered me water.

It was Biblical. It was as if the clouds had parted, and God himself reached down and tapped me on the shoulder. Or flicked me on the foreheard.

It was as if i had met Jesus in person.

As long as strangers practice random acts of kindness, the world ain't so bad.

Course, if Jesus himself told me "destination in 5 to 10", i'd be dead by now.