Walk with Love

I fell in love with a man once when we were walking. He was tall—even taller than me— with eyes that said hello after hello and a music box laugh.

We strolled our way through the neighborhood, matching each other’s strides, passing little bistros with red-checked tablecloths, globes of pepper flakes, and candelabras that were mostly melted wax.

He told me he loved this place. And that one. He asked me if I made The Spaghetti anymore, and I couldn’t remember the last time I did. Years ago, maybe.

It’s funny how our world is made up of unknowing little landmarks. A frozen pond reminds me of my mermaid friends, jumping fish, and my dad. A mountain makes me think of Marta, and a red checkered tablecloth brings him back to spaghetti.

It’s incredible what we see when we look with love. Has a river ever just been a river? Or does it always belong to a person, a time, and a place?

A certain shape of moon takes me back to summer camp.

Birch trees remind me of hiking up Rattlesnake Mountain.

A heart-shaped anything, and my friends Roda’s and Maggie’s smiles appear instantly in my mind.

We reached Washington Square Park and paused by a bench. He told me about his life now, as though he were a stowaway on someone else’s adventure, saying “New York” like he only-half believed the city was real.

“I love you,” I tell him.

He smiles back at me, showing my favorite not-quite-straight tooth. Suddenly, I remember the last time I made spaghetti. He was eleven.

“Love you too, Mom”, he says.

Love gives meaning to the landscape. I might believe I’m looking out over an ordinary pond or meadow, but to someone, it’s the most sacred space in the world. Knowing this has changed the way I walk the Earth and the way I care for it. All the stones are precious ones, all the forests have magic in them, and every city street is home sweet home to someone.

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Libby DeLana is an award-winning executive creative director, designer/art director by trade, who has spent her career in the ad world. Click here to get your copy of  Libby’s first published book, Do Walk. You can connect with Libby on Instagram @thismorningwalk and @parkhere.