I had contemplated a Walden Pond swim today. After all, it was a beautiful, cloudless day, virtually windless with the air temperature in the mid-50s. Almost ideal on my list for what makes it a good November-December day for a swim. Almost. But tomorrow, December 6, was forecast to be even better with temperatures in the low 60s, so I decided to hold off for a day and do something I hadn’t done since early spring – take a walk around the pond.

There were a number of people fishing, one person swimming, one person rolling a kayak down to the water’s edge, another cycling along the sand. Some were absorbing the gentle, late-afternoon rays of the sun, and others conversing with friends or family while sitting on a stone wall. Most were casually strolling, either singly, like myself, or in small groups.

I watched two boys, probably in their late teens, skimming stones along the water. One was quite good, the other not so much. They just laughed at each other’s attempts. I thought about how long it had been since I looked for the flattest stone I could find with just the right amount of heft to send it dancing along the water, perhaps seven, eight or nine times. Maybe even get up to double digits if it was an extraordinary stone and I made an exceptional throw.

I also thought about how close Walden Pond had been to becoming a development not all that long ago, an enclave for the wealthy with perhaps a small “set-aside” for all the rest. Fortunately, due to the efforts and energies of some very dedicated and far-seeing individuals, that never happened. And the wonders of Walden are now there for anyone who wants to enjoy them.

Certainly there are other Walden Ponds scattered throughout the planet, places where we can go for quietude, for walks with a friend, for thoughtful conversation or for skimming rocks. As our noisy world keeps getting noisier, we should do our best to never take these places for granted and strive to ensure that places like these remain.