7:15 p.m. As I type this, the sun is setting. This has been a lovely Fall day, just warm enough to be without a jacket. I took a long, unplanned walk, to Franciscan Monastery and “wrote”, i.e., spoke via Apple Notes about the trip to and back. What follows is a very edited version of those spoken notes.

Sunday, October 1, 2023.

At the Monastery. I’m sitting on the bench overlooking the forest; to my right, the Ronald McDonald house. The sun shines. The trees are not quite as leafy as they were a month ago. I hadn’t planned to come to the Monastery today – I left home without ID or bus fare or a credit card or cash. I was just going for my normal daily walk but I found myself heading north and Here I Am .

It’s a lovely day: Quiet; there’s a cloud or two or three or four, but they’re not menacing – just adding to the overall glory of this day. I enjoyed a quiet morning in bed, dipping into the three new books on memoir writing I bought yesterday; listening to WSHU’s Sunday Baroque; and jotting down thoughts in my journal. Just relaxing. Enjoying doing nothing.

According to the clock it’s 1:33 PM and this is Sunday, October 1. A month ago I was here and I challenged myself to learn something new every day. Well, I suppose I did but what I didn’t do was document what I learned. C’est la vie.

So again, here I sit, partially in the sun and partially not if I turn a little bit. I’m just resting, enjoying the breeze and the scenery, and looking up at the sky following the trees to their very tippy tops. Such a beautiful, peaceful setting. I see a young boy running uphill and wonder where he’s going.

The koi pond is overflowing with plants; I barely saw any fish; wonder why they let the plants grow that way? I’m sure there’s a reason. I tell myself I’ll take a couple pictures of the Koi pond on my way out.

And thus the day comes to an end. Welcome October 2023.