Went for a walk with the butterflies yesterday. The American Snout butterfly is migrating and the park next door to my house is full of them, particularly along the path and brush beside Town Creek. Difficult to get a good look at them, however, they seem to never sit, and it’s hard to believe they’re migrating since most of the flight patterns seem pretty random. Still, it was nice to be among them as I walked, and they paid me no heed.

The swarm dissipated as I got through the park and into town. My walks are easier now days because the state has started putting in sidewalks all along the south side of highway 290. I’m fairly certain when they’re done, I’ll be able to walk from my house, through the park, into town, and on to the local supermarket. The entire trip would be close to three miles round trip. That would be nice and really good exercise. Back in the day, I believe people used to walk to the store a lot. Probably made for a much slower paced life. After all, it’s hard to rush when you walk because a trip that takes 10 minutes in a car takes nearly an hour when you walk.

On the return, as I walked up the hill toward the park headquarters and home, I was greeted with long, crepuscular rays of sunlight streaming through the clouds. I was glad to be walking because it meant I could watch them for a good while and it was quite a sight to see. And when I got back into the park, the butterflies were still there, and that was a bonus. It felt good to be walking with them, toward the setting sun, part of a much larger something that cared little I was there, and took no offense nor much notice at all.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale