Today’s prompt asks me to go on a walk and share a photo of something that catches my eye.
That sounds lovely in theory.
In practice, I have questions.
For starters, today is Monday, which means there are actual Monday things to do. There are responsibilities. There are errands. There are deadlines. There are things that were supposed to be done Saturday but somehow became Monday’s problem, because apparently Saturday and Sunday have no respect for task management.
Also, I live in Florida.
A midday walk in Florida is not a quaint exercise in mindfulness. It is a survival exercise. It is less “notice the beauty around you” and more “try not to become a cautionary tale about hydration.” By the time I would actually have a chance to take this walk, the sun would be doing whatever the sun does when it decides to sit six feet above your head and personally judge your life choices.
And then there’s the matter of scenery.
I do not exactly live in the middle of a forest preserve where I can stroll past a charming creek, spot a butterfly on a wildflower and capture the perfect photo of God’s creation quietly doing its thing. My walk is more likely to include a fast-food sign, a drainage ditch, a suspicious patch of sidewalk and possibly a very colorful person pushing a shopping cart with the confidence of someone who has seen things and is not interested in my prompt.
Which, to be fair, might catch my eye.
But probably not in the way the prompt intended.
The truth is, I started feeling less stressed the moment I decided I was not going to take this walk. That may be the real photo-worthy moment. Not a tree. Not a bird. Not a sunset. Just the invisible but very real image of a man giving himself permission not to force a moment of manufactured inspiration into an already crowded day.
There is something to be said for noticing beauty.
There is also something to be said for noticing your limits.
Sometimes the thing that catches your eye is not outside at all. Sometimes it is the realization that rest, sanity and common sense are also worth paying attention to.
So no, I did not go on the walk.
And honestly?
That may have been the healthiest step I took all day.
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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
