Acquainted with the Night
Robert Frost
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain –and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This poem by Robert Frost ran through my head as I was walking around Ortigas Avenue yesterday doing personal errands.
Alright, it wasn’t really nighttime, more like early afternoon. But it did remind me of the countless times I walked alone at night - sometimes because I had to get from Point A to Point B somehow, but often just because I wanted to.
Solitary walks, in my experience, are good for the body, mind, and soul. They give you a chance to move, and think. Compared to thinking while sitting down, thinking while on the move seems to lend the activity some kind of purpose…direction…a sense of urgency. You’re thinking, and you’re going somewhere.
Somehow some neural connections in your brain gets these two activities together to make for a more potent experience.
Of course, this can be done while walking with others. But walking alone, I seem to have more focus, because I have the chance to listen to myself and no one else.
So yesterday I was walking alone at a leisurely pace, thinking of the new directions I want to steer my life towards.
To my right I noticed an entryway which seemed to go straight and exit on another street. Before I could debate with myself about the merits of taking this route, my feet took a right turn seemingly on their own and voila! I was indeed on the other side of the street. This “shortcut” saved me the time and effort it would have taken to go around a whole block of buildings.
Walking alone does that too - shows you aspects of a place you wouldn’t normally notice. Or a path you didn’t even know was there.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So much for walking alone. 
That was yesterday. Today I have a date with this totally cool guy. 
Happy weekend, all! Hope you too have a chance to walk - alone and/or with a friend - this weekend!
Posted under Navel-Gazing
