A new year, a new column. I have arrived at a solution for some of life’s more intolerable parts [frustration, restlessness, anxiety, etc.] - the Morning Walk. As far as remedies go, this one is part meditation, part exercise, part beauty. The wakefulness, the sleepyness, the promise of more and more light as the seconds tick by - these are precious moments that help to keep the calm.

And so with this column, I attempt to bring them to you. On your Monday mornings, when it seems as if all is for naught, as if you’ll never live down the events of this past weekend, as if you’ll never accomplish all the tasks on your desk, as if you truly believe you might be a different person by the time Friday rolls around.

I’ll remind you today of something we rarely think about but often experience - the puddles on our sidewalks. Every sidewalk has its own contours and ditches, and it seems as though lately the predictable spots have been perpetually filled with water. So much so that I find myself on autopilot, unconsciously steering around the small pools like landmines. I could do it blindfolded at this point.

I think the puddles will be there for a few more months yet.