A Walk from Wednesday.

In which I didn't get the job and then took a pity walk to lift my spirits.

I love this neighborhood. It was actually an area in which I sort-of lived for a few months while I dated an ex-boyfriend. It's amazing how landmarks can change with time simply by your state of mind and emotional feelings. Isn't that funny? The buildings and the streets are the same, but it all looks different.

I may not have gotten the job I was really, really hoping to land, but I feel that even the simple act of pursuing it changed me in a big way. I can feel my outlook morphing from an inward view of things to an outward one.

On my walk, I made it a point to look in the eye of every stranger I passed. We'd both pause, recognizing the connection. I'd smile, and some would smile back.

I saw dog-walkers and writers on their laptops at a cafe. I stopped to pet a tabby cat, who tried to wrestle me when I touched his belly. I saw a woman on the corner, waiting with a yoga mat in hand. I saw cute bicyclists with big grins and a motorcyclist with a lady friend at his rear. I saw lots of telephone lines and ancient, sometimes crumbling apartment buildings and homes. People smoking on porches and laughing loudly with friends.

The sunsets in Salt Lake City are breathtaking in the summer. The colors are constantly shifting and changing with the clouds.

I found myself constantly looking to the sky-- seeing only rooftops and skyline.