Tuesday, October 27, 2026 The Speedy Mile, The Undulating Murmuration

My physical therapist told me to start walking a 20-minute mile every day. I’ve been seeing him about hip pain I’ve been having.

I haven’t been out walking regularly for quite a while. First the knee issue, then the knee replacement, then the hip. “For though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day,” is a refrain from the Bible that circulates around my head these days.

Just so you know, a 20-minute mile is walking at a pretty good clip. The first day I did it, I was sweating, huffing and puffing by the end.

I love being out walking again, though. I think better when I’m walking. The vibrant colors at this time of year bespangle the yards, streets, and skies.

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This morning as I neared the local pond, I heard a very loud gossip session in the tops of the trees. The birds were really going at it! There were probably about 50-75 birds distributed over the tops of two tall trees. I listened to their chatter with interest, although I couldn’t understand a word.

When I got closer, all of the birds suddenly, and with awesome precision, went completely quiet. Not a peep among them. I was so struck by this I cried out, “Oh!”

The whole group took to the skies, forming the kind of murmuration that is peculiar to starlings. They formed and reformed fluid groups, moving together, melting into one cohesive group that undulated continually as they flew away. I stood for a while, transfixed, and with tears in my eyes.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God.

I’ll probably send this gossipy loud post into the skies in the morning.