Almost

I almost couldn't make my arms swing or lift my knees. The left kneecap creaked each time I brought it up and put it back down.
But in my ears, the sound of a five year old asked why Earth is called Earth.
And in the field, a cat jumped across a trickling, just unfrozen stream, coming up a slight incline.
Distractions like these
detracted
the minutes
until it was enough.
Enough plugging, enough hopping over ice and mud.
When I turned around, the cat was hidden–just his head showed. And I was on the way back home.