Walking Together

For our prompt of “Elephant” today, I sketched a couple of young elephants going for a walk together. I couldn’t quite decide whether to have them walking at sunrise or sunset, so I sort of split the difference! I love talking little walks to clear my mind, but walking with a special someone makes me adore the experience even more! Of course, that means my husband Philippe and our pup Elliott most of the time. But, I have vivid memories of beautiful walks with close friends as well. This assumes that we’re actually present and not using our phones at the time. That kind of a walk is entirely forgettable, and barely remembered while it’s even happening. No, these are those rare, old-fashioned walks we always used to take when we didn’t have a little robot in our pocket to provide a constant stream of interruptions. A moment spent with friends or family where I’m truly connecting, without those pesky distractions, is a moment that I always treasure. When I think about all of the moments from my past, they are often the clearest parts of my memory.

One of my favorite memories of walking with someone involves not a singular occasion, but a series of walks with my grandmother. I remember joining her for her daily chores during the summer months and walking and learning about everything from gardening to animals. It was so amazing to join her during that time. I’m a rubbish gardener to this day and can’t milk a goat properly, but that’s not really her fault. I didn’t ask the right questions. I just wanted to watch her do those amazing things and wasn’t interested in actually doing them myself. I simply loved being part of her world, without attempting to make it my own. Our conversations would move to all sorts of things on those walks, and I loved every single second of our time together. It was just a normal day filled with things that had to get done, but it felt like something much more. It felt like a day made for us to enjoy together.

Today, I still find that I cherish moments like these, but they seem to happen much less. Life can get so incredibly busy and that list of chores that I have on my list each day isn’t something anyone would want to join me in doing. Though, Philippe and I still can’t really land on who has the responsibility for laundry and neither of us are really stepping up to claim sole ownership of that role. The special moments these days happen in those bits of life in between those looming deadlines. Or, on a good day, a deadline slides a little so I get to enjoy something that simply matters more to me. That long lunch with a friend that runs a bit longer than either of us expected or had planned in advance, makes for one of the best days ever! Sure, some things probably will be rushed or moved to another day. But, I’ve found that those things, whatever they might be, manage to still happen and without any lasting impact, either positive or negative. It’s just life. Yet, when I take that time to be with someone I love, without worrying about those things that don’t, I’m renewed and reminded that there’s really nothing better than walking together.

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Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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