Going for a walk

I don't know why, but I've never really seen walking as something that I would overly enjoy. Maybe that stemmed from the fact that I never seemed to have time to take a walk. Or maybe, truth be told, I never made time to take a walk, so that I could fully understand how very essential it was to my health - physically, mentally and spiritually. Perhaps I had this silly notion that taking the time to go for a walk meant that I was indulging with my time. After all, there are plenty of "productive" things that a mom of 4 boys could be doing. When I left work and began putting a plan together to recover from my back injury, I was told time and time again that the best kind of exercise would be taking a walk. As simple as it seemed, I initially found all the reasons in the world not to go. "It's too cold, it's raining, it's too early, it's too late" Finally, one day, as ridiculous as it sounds, I took the big plunge, and went for a walk at our neighborhood Fishtrap Creek.

The air was crisp and invigorating. Every step that I took introduced me to new sights and smells that were hidden from my senses with my busy schedule. I realized that I had become so busy in my life that I had missed out on these very simple pleasures. The more walks that I took, the more I wanted to take. My eyes began to look for more of nature's treasures....birds fluttering their wings on the water, beavers gnawing on trees, squirrels scurrying about foraging for food, leaves tussling in the wind, the sun glaring in my eyes, bathing me with its warmth. I began to realize that nature had wisdom to offer, especially as we observe the quiteness and patience of it all. Nothing in nature rushes along. Creatures do not fret over where their food will come from. Plants dried by the winter's cold always come to life in the spring. In nature, there is no sense of being driven or of worrying about anything. Our lives, on the other hand are another matter. I guess we could learn a thing or two but just putting ourselves in nature more often.

As I continued to take my walks, I also realized how very strange it felt to be alone, with nothing to do but examine my thoughts. It's almost as though my mind wanted to rush out of itself into the busyness that I had left when I walked into the park. I then decided that this discomfort that I was feeling was something that I needed to overcome. How could I possibly feel uncomfortable with peace and quiet? So, I began to take more walks and put myself in those quiet places more often. It was in the quietness, I found, that a wonderful calm and peace began to wash over me, the more I engaged it. I decided to take the time to pray and to ask God where He wanted to direct my thoughts. I can't believe how much I have grown to love my walks and my time alone with God. There is nothing in my mind or heart that I can't put before Him, and there is never a time when He doesn't show up when I call.

I guess that goes back to the saying, "never say never" I never thought that a walk could soothe my soul in the ways that it has. And so, now I look forward to those walks. I don't make excuses for not going, I don't feel guilty for making the time to be good to myself and I always stop to take a glimpse of the sheer beauty of God's incredible creation. Life should never be too busy to go for a walk. Everyone could use of little peace and quiet for the soul. The next step is to take what we learn from those quiet moments at the park...and apply them to living our every day moments, at home.