My music of choice for yesterday’s walk was Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, the first chorus, “Auchzet, frohlocket, auf. It’s a peppy piece that exhorts listeners to celebrate the season and the creator. I discovered it four years ago and have loved it ever since.

Here’s the scene: A gusty wind that made temperatures seem colder than they were, an empty parking lot, sun rapidly sinking. I was tired from hours of shopping. I was tempted to drive straight home. A bowl of chili was calling my name.

I could have walked in silence but needed sound. And what a sound it was! Timpani, recorders, trumpets and strings. And at a 12/8 time signature, a most peppy beat. Most of all, there was the human voice. “Shout for joy! Rise up! Glorify the day.”

Those were my marching orders, so I did as I was told.

(Yesterday’s path at an earlier time and on a milder day.)