Eyes squinted against the too bright sun,
My muscles relax, this is where I belong.
The sent of wild rosemary fills the air.
With each step I crush more.
I will smell of it all day.

My long legs flash before me.
They are beginning to get their summer tan.
The wind whips at the loose strands of my hair.
Even as the sun bleaches it’s color.

My dog, my companion, runs around me.
Traveling eight steps for every one of mine,
Like a planet circling its Sun.

My stride begins to shift.
Long swift steps, easy movements.
Out here I become myself.

The pack on my back settles into its accustomed place.
In the beginning it had seemed so heavy.
Now it’s like an arm or a leg, a natural weight.

Here are the marks left by my easel yesterday.
The trace of water tinged with paint.
I look around at the beauty I am setting on canvas.
Time to continue where I left off.