Canyons, Bridges, And Waves
People often ask me, what do you do? Depending upon my mood, I have many different answers. I am an architect. I am a photographer. I am a teacher. I am a writer. I am a designer.
But there is one response that remains constant, no matter how I am feeling.
I am a walker.
When I was a graduate student, the one professor that taught me some of my most important lessons–both in design, and in life–was best known for encouraging his students to open their eyes; to explore the world around them.
“The whole concatenation of wild and artificial things, the natural ecosystem as modified by people over the centuries, the built environment layered over layers, the eerie mix of sounds and smells and glimpses neither natural nor crafted–all of it is free for the taking, for the taking in. Take it, take it in, take in more every weekend, every day, and quickly it becomes the theater that intrigues, relaxes, fascinates, seduces, and above all expands any mind focused on it. Outside lies utterly ordinary space open to any casual explorer willing to find the extraordinary. Outside lies unprogrammed awareness that at times becomes directed serendipity. Outside lies magic.”
Even when rheumatoid arthritis took away my ability to walk with my body, I continued to walk with my mind. For years, I was determined to leave my bed, and to get back out in the open.
I am now there, back out in the open…and whether I’m walking through the mountains of South America, or through the skyscrapers of New York City, I quietly smile on the inside, because I know I’m doing exactly what I was meant to do.
Stay tuned…for the next adventure of Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy!
(Originally posted on CreakyJoints Poet’s Corner.)