A Walk in Thought

Sometimes you just need to get out and walk around. Even if that means alone. Alone is peaceful. Alone gives you time to think, time to explore, and time to find beauty in the smaller things in life.

 I walked around downtown Milledgeville for the second time today simply to get out. I didn't care how hot it was or if I wasn't going to go into one of the many restaurants. All I wanted was to walk. I don't know why I keep wanting to get out and walk around so much, it's so far from everything I am. Anyone who knows me knows that. For some reason I seem to want to walk around. Maybe it's to escape the prison-like walls that are my dorm room. (They're all white with little decoration. I hope to change that soon). Maybe it's to do something different, something I never thought I would do. Maybe it is just because I want to feel the freedom of walking around alone with no one else to worry about but myself. Or maybe it is a subconscious thing in my brain telling me to get up and do something to try and stay somewhat fit. For whatever the reason, I keep going on walks. Surprisingly, I'm okay with that. I like the peaceful aspect of walking alone. Sure it's always nice to walk with a companion, but being alone allows you to think away from everything. It's just you and you alone there to make decisions and find inspiration in the small things that happen during a walk.

On my walk, I passed by several people playing Pokemon Go (yes, I was playing too). I passed by people young and old. I witnessed the hours of the afternoon turn into the orange glow of the evening. I heard the leaves of the trees rustling in the occasional breeze. I heard cars driving down the street in a bustling manner. All of these observations made me think about something. They made me think about the fact that we are all like pieces of a puzzle. Each piece needs the other in order to make one big picture. Everything I witnessed and observed, even me, are all pieces of the puzzle that is Milledgeville. Sure it's a small college town and I've only been here a few days, but some puzzles are three dimensional, sometimes even four, and each part of these multi-dimensional puzzles add another layer of depth to the picture.

The first dimension of the Milledgeville puzzle: The town itself. The roads. The buildings. The businesses. The comic book store that has seen better days.

The second dimension: The leaves rustling in the slight breeze. The cars moving steadily through the street. The sky changing from day to night.

The third dimension: The people. People who have lived here all their lives. People who are young. People who are old. People playing Pokemon Go.

The fourth dimension: Me. I'm new to this puzzle. I'm finding my place. You could even go so far as to say that I am the puzzle piece that you can never quite figure out where it goes or even the extra piece.

All of these pieces rolled into one make Milledgeville what it is. At least, that's what I have observed. It's amazing when you can just separate yourself from the world and just watch everything as it goes by and make note of the little things.

Now, you might be wondering why I described myself as the extra piece. I say that because I stand out. I walk alone when others walk in crowds. I look at the world differently than others. I have different interests. Something about me finds entertainment in the looks I get. I don't know what goes on in people's heads when they think of me, and quite frankly, I don't care. Let people think what they want. I am me and nothing will ever change that. I am me and I like me the way I am. I like my quirks and the things that make me unique.

With that, I leave you with the knowledge that I will probably go on many walks while I attend GCSU. Walks where I can just think and create ideas. Walks where I can find myself and my place in the bigger puzzle.