The long way home

I missed the bus on purpose today.

There is a path along the river that adds forty minutes to the trip, and in October it is worth every one of them. The trees on the far bank turn first, so the water looks like it is holding a fire.

I passed the same man with the same two dogs I see every week. We have never spoken. Today he nodded, which felt like a promotion.

Some walks are for thinking. This one was for not thinking at all.