Construction time again

Oasis of light
London, ON
December 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I've been walking a lot lately, The dog, lunchtime strolls through the new-to-me neighborhood downtown, and, as you can see here, walks to the car in the darkness.

It's been good for me to get out, turn the rest of the planet off, and just spend some quiet time alone with my thoughts. Correction: It's anything but quiet, as my brain seems to spin into overtime whenever I'm out. And even though the thoughts that creep into my head aren't always happy ones, I'm still glad to have the opportunity to shift gears a bit and connect with the world around me.

I had parked a couple of blocks away from the new office. To get there, I had to walk through a well-worn edge of the downtown core, hard by the rail line and businesses that have been around for longer than I've been alive. It was 6:14 p.m. Most of the downtown had cleared out. The streets were empty, save for a hardware store whose warehouse was inexplicably opened to the street, spilling light, oasis-like, onto the darkened asphalt just outside. No one was around, and I felt somewhat guilty for even standing there, worried an employee would spot me and think I was casing the joint.

Well, I sort of WAS casing the place, but only for a picture. My fingers hurt as I set up for the shot in the damp cold, wondering why I had never before seen this particular door open, wondering when the next opportunity to peek inside would present itself.

When I was happy with what I had captured, I put the smartphone away and continued on my way. It was a simple moment, in a simple place, but given the chaos of the past few months, it felt comforting to be able to put the blinkers on, if only for a couple of minutes, and focus on something not overwhelmingly dark. Going for a walk and slowing myself down allowed me the opportunity to cross paths with this pool of unexpected light in a place that often has none. I see more walks in my near future.

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