Book It

Pebbles squeal in protest beneath my green flip flops as I stride heartily toward the Hogar. I thrust my legs forward like a sumo wrestler entering the ring, clenching my fists tighter and arranging my face in a calculated frown. It’s my Friday walk back from the high school; a two-mile trek that takes about a half hour. Cars and trucks fly by, horns blaring. I wish I had brought something more than the llama purse slung around my neck. Inside I have a few whiteboard markers and Burt’s Bees chapstick, which I know won’t be much good against an attacker. Maybe attacker sounds a little dramatic, but after passing a group of guys a few minutes back who hollered in English and Spanish, attacker is a plausible term. The morning haze evaporates into the azure sky. I gaze around me, taking in the green mountains and I am comforted. The bus stop is in sight, and from there the Hogar is even closer. I continue to pray and my steps are quick, but I am no longer afraid.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
Psalm 125:2

Not only do I arrive unharmed, I cut five minutes off my time thanks to my agitated gait.