And so I left my house. I grabbed some juice from the fridge, threw on some loose shorts and headed to the lake.

The sun was hot. That’s how I like it. I must’ve lived as a serpent before this life.

It’s a strange time in the world. I’m not really sure if I should be making eye contact with others. So I tend not to. That seems like an unfriendly world. But I’m also not wanting to antagonize people. Someone yelled at me a few weeks ago, “what the fuck are you looking at?”. It seems he left a mark.

The water is a close walk away.

As I get closer I can hear the sound of a seadoo  zipping around on the water. I had seen a lot of activity on the water in the last couple weeks as the heat has been picking up. Canoes, paddle boats, even some hover board looking thing that had a guy surfing around a few feet above the water.

Somedays I go right down to the rocks. Blotting out the world around me so all I can see is the water.

I love the sound of the water, the crashing waves. It’s a lulling rhythm.

I hear the birds too. The seagulls, and the ducks, and geese. It’s nice. My father doesn’t like the geese very much because they leave their poop all over the place. I don’t really mind them, actually, I rather like them.

Lately I’ve been sitting up on the grassy hill, reading in the sun. Today I took a quick nap.

A lot of people like to go and hang out down by the water. It’s nice there.

It’s nice to get out and walk. I’ve been pretty cooped up in my house through the whole pandemic.

I see families, and kids on their bikes. People coming out to walk their dogs. Others have lunch up on the benches.

There are a whole bunch of painted rocks down near the shoreline. I think children around the city have been doing it as part of the school curriculum.

It’s nice sitting in the sun.

I’ve been taking a greater interest in politics lately. It’s a very different world for me. I’ve so often been concerned with the nature of god and the soul that the temporary world has not concerned me. But as I dive deeper into the governance of society, I realize how godless it is. How corrupt the power structure has become.

I’ve felt some doubt today actually, about my notions of the afterlife. It is something that I don’t really know beyond doubt, and so it’s understandable why cynicism would arise. That makes the walk to the water that much sweeter.

It is now. It is certainly real.

In this moment I can feel the glorious sun. The breeze. The earth. These things give me joy beyond doubt.

My mind returns to the notion of the eternal. I’ve often kept from making outrageous claims. Wanting to stick with incontrovertible truths, but inside I know what I feel.

I believe that regardless of the afterlife or not, the mission remains the same. To demonstrate peace on the planet. Allow people levity. Share joy, through music and art, and dance, and smiles, and laughter.

It is simple when I look at it that way. My life, in the effort of sharing joy.

I walk to the park daily. I sit quietly and listen. Nothing more is needed. It is a simple joy and one that I cherish.

It is a gift, to live in this world the way that I do. And I don’t really know who granted it. But I do know what sustains it, the natural world is a generous lover who gives so much and asks for nothing in return. Although I do suspect, a lack of loving reciprocity will one day result in her love turning to torture.

I do not know what the future has in store.

But as I move into my heart I feel my lips curl into a smile. I know that my life is significant because I feel joy. I know that is a gift that should be treasured. I know that sharing that gift makes for a wonderful life.

It’s a simple as a walk in the park.

With gratitude I wake early in the morning and make my way down to the water while the world continues to sleep. It makes it easier to hear the waves.

I am a lucky man.