When I walk in my neighborhood, I go around a circle three times. Today I completed the first circle before realizing I was missing out on my walk. My body was going through the motions, but I had either been future-tripping or memory-meandering. I was lost in time and I had missed the
whole first lap!
Thankfully I “woke up” and was able to hear the birds again. I stopped to smell the magnolias on each pass, and I laughed at the squirrels running through the trees. Tuned in to reality, I noticed the smell of the fresh air. I admired how the morning sun brought a golden glow to everything and I enjoyed its warmth on my skin.
Once I began looking around for interesting and beautiful things, many treasures caught my attention. I made a game out of it and enjoyed taking photos along the way.
I usually just look at the stamens resting in the magnolia petals, as I take a big whiff. (Yes, I had to look up that word!) Today I let myself grab a few to admire up close. I decided to walk with them in my hand, occasionally rubbing them between my fingers, which is another excellent strategy to stay mindful and in the moment. Over the course of my walk, I added a few blades of grass and a found quarter to my tactile collection.
***Look down below the painting of the week to see photos of some of the gifts I discovered on my "scavenger hunt" that I otherwise would have missed.
Where am I right now?
That is such a wonderful question to write down on paper and post in a few visible places to see throughout our day. We can also set a daily reminder or two in our phones so we see that question and can check to be sure we are "awake." Staying out of our heads and being present in our lives is where all the good stuff happens.
My last two laps were decidedly a much better experience than the first one. Being intentional, deciding in advance the way we want something to go, can change how we experience most anything.
Today, let’s remember to bring ourselves back to the moment that we’re in. The gifts are always in the present.
