I hiked after work Thursday night. The trail was so busy that I immediately regretted being there and ended up hiking just 2.5 miles when I had planned for about twice that amount.

The few moments of solace were wonderful but those were rare and were overshadowed by people playing music on their phones and the fear that someone’s loosely supervised toddler would fly off a cliff.

Yet those quiet moments were ideal with plenty of birds and squirrels to keep me company and a beautiful forest to enjoy.

I was headed for the car when I encountered Betty, an older lady who was resting her bad knees while she waited for her husband to return. She seemed quite pleased to soak in her surroundings while the rest of the world was going by with phones in hand and seemingly ignoring the beauty of it all. In fact, it seemed time that they could have been power walking in a mall with just as easily was walking through these beautiful woods.

Betty and Joe were visiting to celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary and I learned when he returned that they both were as delightful as could be.

It brightened my day to chat with them for a few minutes and I left the park feeling a little better about the world.

Life is harder when you feel out of step with the world around you and I should know because I’m completely out of step with nearly everyone around me. Finding a kindred spirit feels like a breath of fresh air in a hot room.

Speaking of fresh air – if you have a chance to breathe fresh air and bask in the beauty of the world from beneath a canopy of trees, do it. And pay attention. Turn off the music, lower your voice, turn down the thoughts racing through your mind and pay attention. Use all your senses to see, smell, hear and feel the sensation of being surrounded by wild beauty.

You may find that it’s the very best kind of addictive behavior.