Leaving "Black Care" Behind

"Black care seldom sits behind the rider whose pace is fast enough."

                                                      — Theodore Roosevelt   

So the man I met last night in Ken Burns' new film "The Roosevelts" is in many ways the man I knew: the man of action, man of privilege, man of tragedy and loss. His father died when he was in college; his mother and wife died a few years later on the same day.  In an agony of grief Roosevelt headed west, to the Badlands, where the limitless sky and active life helped him heal. 

Hearing all this last night — especially the quotation — makes me think about walking. How many suburban amblers stroll just fast enough to make their worries go away. I know I do. Sometimes I can outrun my troubles, sometimes I can't. But I usually return in better spirits than I left. "Black care" is almost always left behind.