31/365 - Footprints

With the springlike temperature today, the snow is pretty well gone, but I remember Lucy excitedly pointing out some tracks on our snow-covered driveway earlier this week. She thought they belonged to a puppy, but it could've been any of the many country critters that live around our house. She made her own little footprints in the snow as she explored where the "puppy" went.

There's something about spying tracks and footprints that makes me smile. It's as if the spirit of the animal or person who made them is still lingering in the place where I happen to now be going. In instances where I can identify the person who belongs to the footprints, it warms my heart all the more.

Seeing footprints in the snow, or today in the mud (photo courtesy of a fellow runner), reminds me that my journey in this life is one that many others have likely already traveled. And even if I do choose to forge a seemingly new path, I will no doubt leave tracks that others may also choose to follow. Acknowledging my connection to others' journeys makes me more cognizant of my own path, the steps I'm taking, who I'm following, and how I want to lead.

The next time you notice some footsteps, I encourage you to consider the tracks you're making in this world. Would you want people to know your footsteps belong to you?