"Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your weary souls."  Jeremiah 6:16

Last weekend I had two very different experiences of walking. I had reason to visit the Mall of America, the closest mall to our home. Now I am not one of the people who dislikes MOA…it is, what it is…and I do the majority of my "mall" shopping there. I did,however, become aware of how difficult it is to actually walk slowly there, to just "window shop".  The mall walkers, many of whom are walking for exercise, set a certain pace as they weave in and out of shoppers. The shoppers themselves also walk at a quick pace, the direction of the walkers divided just like the highway….right and left, not much crossing over. You go against the traffic at your own peril. It seems a shame in some ways. I know that the window dressers have spent great time and effort creating the window pictures, hoping, of course to lure us in. It seems lost in the pace of it all.

The next morning I went to the St. Paul Farmer’s Market and had a completely different experience. Those who walked the aisles stopped frequently, to talk, buy,ask questions or just to look, to admire vegetables, a baby in a stroller. The flowers were so beautiful, brilliant with color, almost impossible to take in….which may have been why there is so much stopping and starting. Sellers offered tastes of sweet peas, fresh strawberries,chocolate, organic cheese and fresh egg rolls. Another bottleneck occurred around those booths. No one seemed to mind. They either waited for a taste or till the human traffic picked up its pace again. The pace of walking at the market fit in the category of "moseying". No one seemed to have much of any place they needed to be……except right where they were.

I’m not sure what to make of these different experiences. It was just something I noticed, something I was aware of in the often unconscious act of walking. The Mall certainly has its place in the grand scheme of things and I will continue to shop there. But I know I really prefer those paths that connect me with the work of those whose hands have been plunged deep into the richness of soil…. those whose lives, connect with the ancient ways of seed and growth, goodness and bounty, food and beauty. It is there I find rest for my soul.