STEPPING ENCOUNTERS

Thursday, April 3rd, 2025

243 Avenue Road, Toronto

STEPPING ENCOUNTERS

If I hit twenty thousand on my pedometre

It doesn’t register in kilometres

But in steps taken, causing me to boast

For a walker, such figures count the most

They start at zero, go to tens, hundreds, thousands

Not numbers for any dastardly cowards

It is what you do with the steps that matter

And in their wake, the stories you gather

I met a courageous woman on a marathon

Calling it “Get off your butt-athon”

I was humoured by her fundraiser

And told of my road friend-raisers

Not to marginalize her project

Anyone who walks I’ll always respect

It takes willpower to move your machine

For humans, walking is in our genes

It is mobility of our body parts on command

Or a calling to swinging our legs and hands

I met a man in Ohio driving his muscle truck

To see a monk walking he was really struck

Curiosity had him pull right over

Nearby those fragrant fields of clover

He asked for some wholesome words of advice

What I said was for men and not mice

Firstly, humans are wired to walk

Secondly, humans are wired to squawk

But on point number two there is more

It is the inner self humans must explore

The man expressed his deep appreciation

Took it as inward and practical education

He awarded me with a very kind donation

After which I continued to trek across the nation

I was doing my stepping in Newfoundland

Now that’s a place of landscapes so grand

Johnny was there walking, said he felt great

Out there it’s easy to make a friend, a mate

He was proud of the fact he stopped drinking

“When did you quit?” “Just this very morning”

On a fine afternoon under autumn sun

By the roadside when day is not yet done

Two young Amish girls in dress and bonnet

Were gathering chestnuts to put in their basket

I asked them “What will you do with those fallen nuts?”

“We’ll make muffins and pies, lots and lots”

In Ireland I roamed a rural trail one grey day

Out of the blue an army battalion stood by the way

While in queue one by one they stepped aside

I was treated just like the pope on his ride

That was undeserved, I’ve had my share of the other

When you’re not dealt with like a brother

“So get the eff out of town, got my dog and gun”

Obviously the Nebraska man wanted me to run

I kept my cool like I just came out of the pool

Better to keep your calm and not your cruel

A load of barley was stuck – vehicle trouble

The driver saw me as radical, maybe rebel

While waiting for help he asked about me

I told of my mission and walking to be free

His objection, “I believe in a different God”

To my defense, “Same Sun, same God, think broad”

One day before an ice storm by the St. Lawrence

My steps were like a dalliance in a romance

I walked-danced by the river and hit 99 clicks

Kilometres that is, put me on a list of addicts

This walking made me tired and drowsy in the end

I phoned sister Connie, always been a friend

“I scored a big one next to the water

Tell all our siblings, most of all, Father”

The next day I rested like anything – no steps

Had I dared, the ice would have insisted on slips

It is not uncommon for me to come upon roadkill

Wildlife cannot understand our asphalt fill

They cross the road and meet with surprise

A result of nighttime headlights in their eyes

A massive moose was downed by a sudden vehicle

There, by Pancake Bay he was more than critical

Death had set on him moving the soul forward

Nature orders, then we get chauffeured

I could not see the soul move gracefully on

But I did see a raven concluding, “He’s gone”

With each step the journey gets richer and richer

With these encounters, colour adds to the picture

The numbers keep mounting as we maintain the counting

I’m a monk on the loose, walking and sounding

The stepping culture has taken me around

Allowing me to massage the fertile ground

I go with heart in addition to the feet

With the feet it’s a step, the heart – a beat

Oh pedestrians, check out The Walking Avatar

Three steps on the pedometre made him a superstar

– By Bhaktimarga Swami

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!

? STEPS