I really didn’t want to go. I had far too much to do, but I had committed to try to take better care of myself, so I was going. I had to yank myself up off the couch, and put on my walking shoes and force myself. I pleaded with family members to go walking with me so we could talk, as I had so much busy-ness on my mind. No luck. So I was alone on my walk.
I am fortunate that across the street and down a little path past the farmer’s corn fields and horse pastures is the river bottoms, an isolated area where the trees grow next to the river, muskrats and birds abound, and it is very serene. The stillness and solitude washed over me and slowed down my rattling mind with each step. The sun warmed up my shoulders. Nature seems to whisper, “Don’t hurry. There is a time for every season under heaven.”
Problems that had been fussing in my mind for some time now seemed solvable. I didn’t have an answer, but that walk made me feel like I could cope with things, and that solutions would be possible to find.
When I had 7 children in my homeschool including a prickly teenager, toddlers and a nursing baby, my daily walk was so very crucial to my well-being, emotionally and physically. It was extremely challenging to get away—I’d have to work on finding a way every single day. But once I left the house, I would walk far down in the river bottoms to a spot where I could look back up at my house, looking so small on the edge of the bluff. I would lift up my hand and use my thumb to cover my home from my sight. “See, it isn’t so big and insurmountable. I can do this!”, I would remind myself.
Ah—the value of some solitude! Even a short 20 minute walk can make a world of difference in our perspective and our inner tranquility. I hope you can find time to take a walk.
May I recommend:
My friend recently had an anxiety attack, so I thought I’d look up some helpful practices and I stumbled across walking meditation. As I read the description of the exercise/practice, I realized this is something I actually do on a regular basis. When the weather permits, I typically like to take a walk or ride my golf cart through some trails in the woods at my house; I generally focus on the wind, the ambient noises, and I particularly like the warmth of the sun and the way it shines through the trees. Either way, I always feel a bit more relaxed and content afterwards.