which would you choose?

There’s something you need to see — it has your name all over it.“

— so My Good Man informed me when I arrived at his house late afternoon of the solstice. Whatever it was, he’d discovered it on his trail run that morning over on The East Side — the wooded slopes of the Sandia mountains. Over there on the east side is where NM Route 14 runs pretty much parallel to I-25 on the west side, though Route 14 is far more pleasant and picturesque and has become my preferred route between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

There’s a network of trails over there that he frequents, not the least because there’s a brewpub AND a coffee shop sharing the trailhead parking lot. Yet despite the opportunity for both warming and cooling libations, I had yet to experience — or be convinced of the merit of — these trails. We had gone out there once last winter during a bitterly cold morning, and were disappointed to discover the trails were slick with ice. After a few minutes of miserable slippery hiking, we turned around. I hadn’t stepped on the trails since. And, truth be told, though I enjoy driving up Route 14, there are parts of that side of the Sandias that have struck me as a bit monotonous in their drab and unvaried greenery — a surprisingly narrow-minded outlook for one who would like to think she strives for open-mindedness, especially when it comes to exploring trails!

But the promise of something remarkable was all I needed to get me up at 5:00 am on a Sunday morning, fill my travel coffee cup, load the pup in the car and drive over to the east side with My Good Man.

And there it was: the-remarkable-something-for-me-to-see revealed itself the moment we stepped on the trail:

The path was lined with stones, each hand-painted a gorgeous sky blue…

each with an inspiring thought scribed on its cool smooth surface.

What’s more, there was an invitation for anyone who wanted to to select a stone to keep for themselves.

What a delightful, inspiring and generous gift — made for strangers!

My Good Man was right: This had my name all over it.

Now for the hard part:

Which one to choose?!

I decided to wait until the end of our hike* to make my selection to give me time to listen to which one called to me most strongly.

Initially I was drawn to this one, what with my recent firing of FaceBook and determination to prove that one can survive and prosper as a self-employed artist without having to rely on social media:

But ultimately I chose another — or rather, it chose me. For this one encompasses what that other one says, yet so much more:

My Good Man chose this one:

Which one would you choose?

*[Pics from that surprisingly mighty fine trail exploration coming up in next week’s TuesdayDawnings!]

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