This morning, I was out walking my neighborhood while listening to uplifting tunes playing softly through my headset. Music helps set the pace literally and figuratively for my walks. The volume varies depending on what I need out of my walk on any given day.
As I was taking in the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of nature, I was intentionally staying present and open to receiving spiritual inspiration. It’s blog day for me. I had a few ideas already captured on paper, but I wondered if there was something else I was meant to write about and share with you all this week. On my second lap around, a few gifts were downloaded to me.
I love it when during a walk, nuggets of wisdom fall from above and land on my heart. Does this happen to you when you walk? If you haven’t experienced this before, I'm convinced that all you have to do is walk with the intentions of being shown something. And, be willing to suspend expectations of what that might look like.
Eyes, heart, mind, ears—all parts of us must be open, curious and willing to see what we’re being shown.
People have been walking for wisdom for centuries. I love this form of meditation. Today, this is what came to me during my walk:
Getting over it is never possible. Getting through it is always possible.
I’m not sure where that one came from. I was just walking along when the phrases and word play came to mind. Maybe I was wishing I could get over something? I can’t remember, except that I realized at a deep level how futile it is to try to "get over" something. We can’t heal by trying to escape. We have to experience our experiences to get the lessons and move on.
The second nugget that followed is this:
In order to grow, we must be willing to learn. In order to learn, we must be willing to acknowledge that we don’t know everything.
I thought of a new mantra:
I know nothing. I am curious to learn and understand.
For this one, I know that I was wishing circumstances would change for a friend. I think I want this change for my friend, more than my friend does. My friend doesn’t communicate to me a realization that something in her must change, before her circumstances can change. But I suspect this is true for her, as it is for all of us.
I wrote about Albert Einstein a few weeks ago and this quote keeps resurfacing in my world:
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” ~Einstein
Apparently, I can’t get enough of that quote and keep drawing it to me as an encouraging reminder to stretch and grow.
These thoughts brought me to a bonus word play I enjoyed creating, It's a tongue twister so read it slowly:
Until we know that we don’t know everything, we won’t discover what we don’t know we need to discover. Knowledge may come to us a thousand different ways, but if we’re not aware that we need it, we won’t even see it.
Plainly said, we don't know what we don't know.
If you aren’t regularly taking walks or hikes to be inspired, to stoke creativity, or to be reminded that you don't know everything, I want to offer plenty of inspiration to encourage you to make walking a regular part of your life.
I did a google search for “walking in nature to receive wisdom” and found beautiful quotes to ponder, many good articles worth reading, and even a YouTube video about a book that sounds intriguing. All of these support the benefits of moving your feet. Have a look and enjoy! Please share your walking experiences in our reader’s group, if you’re willing.
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
~John Burroughs
I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. ~John Muir
When the eyes and the ears are open, even the leaves on the trees teach like pages from the scriptures. ~Kabir
