There’s always more to do. As I look down at my to-do list at the end of each day, I inevitably cringe at all the things I didn’t manage to accomplish. “If only I had more time,” I tell myself. We always want to do more, because we feel like we can be more. And while I feel like I can get pulled in 27 directions at once, I also have to take time for myself to slow down. So, that’s what I did.

I’m grateful that I live in a city where quiet and nature are mere minutes away. I can go for a walk through Central Park or stare out into the water at Deep Cove. And while I had visited Deer Lake Park in Burnaby before, this was my first time actually completing the circuit all the way around the lake.

It’s nice, even though you don’t really get a view of the lake all the way around. From what I can gather, this is meant to protect the wetlands that the local fauna and flora call home. As I made my way around Deer Lake, I was lucky enough to encounter some ducklings and goslings; they wouldn’t be more than a few months ago.

On some level, I envy them and their simple lives. All they have to do is eat and sleep… and avoid predators. Okay, so I don’t have to deal with that last part. I bet they don’t have smartphones though. Or existential crises. Or the desire to slow down. They have no notion of weekends or unfinished to-do lists. Maybe that’s better. Maybe it’s not.

Either way, I’m glad I took the time on that overcast day to go for a nice stroll in the park. I think we could all use a little more of that in our lives.