Peaches, Lust and Tranquilizers

For as long as I've been participating in the Topix forums (16 months and counting), this has always been the premier pet phrase of choice for usage by me. Basically, it's a corruption of a well known phrase that was around when I was growing up in the 70's: Peace, Love and Tranquility.

I've always had fun with it, because there was always a multitude of word combinations that could be used to express whatever mood I happened to be in at the given moment. It was a great tag line to use, because other people would play off of it, either in fun or in anger (there was no shades of gray when you were dealing with me, only black or white). Very rare was the post that I'd made when I actually used the phrase the way the creators of it intended, probably less than 10 times in over 10,000 posts. When I did use it, it was usually in conjunction with a very heartfelt and genuine post towards someone near and dear to me online.

I got to thinking about it today (6/21) while taking my weekly stroll about town. I do five+ mile walks on the weekends, no matter what the weather conditions may be: sunny, rainy, windy, cold, dreary, etc., etc. There are usually two reasons as to why: 1) I enjoy walking because I can't bike ride any more and 2) I can't bike ride anymore do to a degenerative health condition, but I still need the exercise.

Anyways, on my walk today, I was able to think about things and events (current and otherwise) with a clarity that I usually can't get anywhere else. Walking around town allowed me to really get back in touch with myself, so to speak. It allowed me to enjoy the good weather, recharge my batteries, interact with people and most importantly, remind me that I am a person and not some drone who spends the week on autopilot.

Walking in my town, is like stepping back into pepped up version of Rockwell's America. Not completely wholesome and white bread, but with just enough spice added in to give it some zest. Once you get away from the downtown area, it's like stepping into a time warp. It literally becomes like any typical summertime commercial for lemonade or something. Nothing but peace of mind, a refreshed spirit and a better outlook on the day.

F'r instance, during my walk, I was able to do one of my favorite pastimes: people watch. Didn't matter if they were walking down the street or playing/working in the yard, in a strange way, it really lifted my spirits. I found an inner peace that I usually don't have during the week, but I usually get a large enough dose during my walks to sustain me during the weekend. Coupled with strolling past the mountain that I live across from (hence the blog title), it put me into a very relaxing and refreshing good mood for the rest of the weekend.

So my advice to anyone out there who's looking for some quality down time, go out for a walk. It will free the mind, refresh the spirit, recharge the batteries and it'll make you feel good about yourself.

So remember: Peaches, for that inner child of yours; Lust after your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend; and Tranquilize the mind by taking a simple stroll to detoxify.