Botany

I was thinking as I passed the various carefully planted displays on my right, and the wild, untended arrays to my left, that I really should learn the names of these plants and flowers. I can certainly appreciate their beauty without this knowledge but I feel somehow ignorant and uneducated. I don’t like that feeling, always needing to be in command of the situation, or perhaps more likely, always required to be in command of the situation, something I’ve simply become accustomed to.

Another Sunday morning and I nearly didn’t run. I’d woken hungry and woozy long before dawn, regretting the decision not to cook the small piece of swordfish that I’d bought yesterday afternoon. After the long week of work I really just didn’t have the energy. This is becoming more and more common as the demands of the job increase, another meal planned and then abandoned. I don’t eat out anymore, not just because of the expense, but because I’ve grown tired of sitting at tables or bars alone, frequently the only one unaccompanied.

I went out despite the weakness, maybe just the short part of the trail, maybe just the four and a half miles that was the beginning. I never thought I’d hear those words, even in my own thoughts, just four and a half miles. I couldn’t help being amused. I’d start from the upper lot; it’s been a while since I’ve parked there.

As I started off I thought that I would never be able to do this today, anticipating ending up walking to my car in defeat, but reminded myself that it was only two weeks ago when I’d gotten out to fourteen. Certainly, even in my current state I could make it this relatively short distance.

Black eyed Susans, and of course the freshly planted maples, the only ones I could name as I trotted along the path, a feat that could probably be performed by any six year old in the area. My lack of knowledge continued to frustrate me. I decided that I would buy a book today, and would study the names and the next time I would be properly informed.

There are techniques to the running as well, ways to avoid injury and increase speed and endurance. I am as ignorant of these as I am of the species of plant life that surrounds me. I could use an education, maybe this is an appropriate time to begin. There is so much that I don’t know, so much mystery, so much to be learned. The thought of acquiring all of the knowledge I desire is overwhelming.

I think I’ll start small, maybe just with the flowers, and maybe just a few at a time. It’s August and they won’t last much longer. I should take that part on immediately; it’s been far too long since I’ve learned about a subject that I truly cared about.

I did visit the book store later in the day, and scanned the various botanical guides, but became frustrated as I flipped through the hundreds of illustrations without finding a single, familiar plant. So I opted instead to spend the money I had allotted on a small gift for some friends. My education would have to wait one more day.