{A Different Pathway} 52 photos project yr2 wk11

Have you ever driven to work or somewhere that you go daily

and when you arrived had no real memory of where you had been

or what you had seen?

Sometimes I felt like my mind was on auto pilot when I drove the 68 km to work each day...

other than paying attention to the traffic, especially when I was in the city,

I realized that I could not recall going through a particular intersection, 

or seeing a certain store that I knew was along the route.

Not being a routine oriented type of person...

this driving without thought of where I was going was scary!

When I felt the way I described above,  I knew it was time to change up my route!

Now that I am free as a bird I generally walk in a different direction every day on my photo walks

Recently I realized that when I walk through one particularly beautiful park near home

I follow the same path every time...

possibly because it is paved, which somehow makes one feel 

like that is where you are 'supposed' to walk

but also because the flowers and trees are so beautiful along the way

Not being one to follow the rules and,

 no longer having to pretend that I follow the rules

(kids are grown)

 I guess it was only a matter of time before I decided to follow the train tracks 

that I usually crossed to get to the path

 The Mister, not being a rule breaker or, as he puts it,

 a "risk taker"

decided to continue along the 'official' path with the dogs...

even though I assured him that there would be sooo much more to see

off the beaten path...

while I walked down the tracks and then turned off into a meadow

crossed the river (which truly is more like a stream!) 

and travelled a little deeper into the woods

these pretty flowers are everywhere...even along the 'real' path..

I was beginning to lament my choice to take the 'road less travelled',

exhausted and eaten alive by swarms of mammoth mosquitos, 

and not having been rewarded with anything I couldn't have seen 

from the path the Mister chose...

Until ... 

I spotted this lovely couple having a romantic dinner

while the kids played further down the stream...

one of whom, it appears, also chose to follow a different path 

as the others continued along their way - but a diligent caregiver corralled the wayward one

YAY! I had something to show for my different path...

but I have to admit...

 there was comfort in seeing the Mister and the puppins at the end of the other path....

where I proudly shared my
"You should have seen the ducks" tales

...

but nothing about my exhaustion of climbing the hills, 

or the twist in my ankle from slipping in the stream

or the one million mosquito bites...

...

It was worth every one!!

Posting to 52 Photos Project