Footprints

An article by Don Quixote

I have walked this way before.

I can see the indentation of my shoes in the soft soil.

I have left these footprints in the sand without even realizing it as I walked. Never once did I consider that I was leaving the impression of my instep on the ground; that someone else may look and know that I had traveled this way before. I am over come with an odd sense as I see evidence of my passing.

I have walked this way before.

My life passed through this space once before. Where was I going when I walked here? What was I think, feeling, and doing as I went? Were these steps misplaced or well laid? Was this the best route on which to travel?

I have walked this way before.

Some how my path has led me back to this place. I am re-crossing ground that I have already been on and I do not know why. It is strange to think on these things as I look down, to find myself in this spot. Am I a better person than I was the first time? Has my journey taught me anything? Why am I here? Am a back tracking, correcting a decision made in error? Am I moving forward or backward?

I have walked this way before.

Even a journey of 2.7 miles begins with a single step. When I begin, I never know where I was going to end; I simply keep walking. And so I have walked, placing one foot in front of the other; step after step. As I go, I am even now reminded that I do not leave the surface unchanged, that my steps are measured and marked.

I do not know if I will be by this way again; but for now, I will look this stranger in the eye that was me a while longer and then press on once more onto the road.