BE CAREFUL!

Walking ranks highest among my aerobics choices.  It's simple, straightforward, and much easier to learn than riding a bike.  Especially, when I'd go to the neighborhood recreational center, walking didn't require a fashion statement.  For goodness sakes! It was the neighborhood rec center, and a certain treadmill had my name on it! Just kidding. However, walking around my neighborhood, a favorite pastime, let me compare architectural styles, admire flower gardens, and marvel at the industry that fueled community gardens.  The big plus: it cost nothing.  That's priceless

Because weather during Colorado winters can be daunting, I typically used the rec center treadmill from late-October to early March. Maybe a month after the crocuses and tulips stretched through dormancy, peeked out, and brought smiles, oohs, and ahhs! I'd rummage through the back of my closet, pull out three or four outfits (to put it kindly), find sneakers, and prepare to walk!  Early morning temperatures, the time I preferred to walk,  determined pace, distance, and amount of time I spent on the venture. I'd start with a twenty-minute brisk walk and work up to 45 minutes, tops.

I passed very few others, which suited me perfectly.  Usually engrossed either in a pity party or the aftermath of a perceived slight (who didn't matter)), I barely looked up or around.  This morning, however, walking deliberately, I looked ahead, guesstimating how long it would take to complete the first leg of the trek.  I'd always try to make it to the turnaround point in less time than the previous day.  My notion of competition.  What else could I do? Don't answer that! 

A tall, really tall, Black woman walked toward me, going East, while I walked West.  My Lord, she's tall! (I'm 5'9") As we neared each other, I scoped her head to toe  She appeared to be in her early 70's. Smooth, almost taut, chestnut brown skin emphasized high cheekbones (like those of Lena Horne or Diahann Carroll).  Her graceful stride mesmerized me.  She looked like a roller skater gliding around a rink, moving to music only she heard.

I neither stopped walking nor picked up my pace.  Fascinated, I took in an old-fashioned, dated, wide skirt and a long-sleeved shirt.  While I never noticed the color or whether the two pieces matched, I did wonder how she could walk so smoothly, so effortlessly  When we got close enough to speak, I spoke and even smiled.  She nodded as if we were the strangers we were, then glided by.

I wonder who she is and where she lives.  I continued walking maybe six or seven steps, then turned to watch where she might be going.  But she wasn't there! She was nowhere to be seen! I stopped dead in my tracks, mouth probably opened, and one arm outstretched as if to beckon her back.  She had disappeared in thin air! 

My encounter, if I could call it that, happened years ago.  Yet, I still remember and wonder about the words of prophecy.  "No matter what, make room...to show hospitality to strangers, for they may be angels from God showing up as your guests" (tPt, Hebrews 13:2).