Sidewalk Signs

Have you ever noticed the lines, cracks, and chips in the sidewalk while you are walking? Walking with young children, jumping over lines, and noticing bugs on the sidewalk heightened my awareness of sidewalk signs. Sidewalks tell a story.

Today as I was walking, I looked down and saw straight smooth lines, thin cracks that spread through several sidewalk lines, and mottled chips. The sidewalk's unspoken language gave me a picture of what had come before me. Purposeful footsteps, playful toes, bicycle wheels, sun baked summer days, wind, floods, pounding, running, walking dogs, and conversations.

Watching the various dips, dents, cracks, and patches in my path made me think about my life's journey. I often see my life in blocks marked by memorable events. Like the blocks of cement on the sidewalk my experiences are sometimes smooth and follow a carefully laid out plan. Then there are the messy interruptions that leave small dents in my plans, there are lost expectations that leave mottled pits, and long cracks that add distinction. I can choose to walk over, around, or patch the cracks, but there will always be evidence of my uneven journey.

My ability to enjoy and appreciate the pits and cracks in my life gives me character and wisdom. Join me in a walking conversation with all of its dips and dents.


30 minutes walking

Around the pond

“Language is a mirror of the mind.”
- Noam Chomsky

 

 We visited a friend of my husband's who lives on 13 acres an hour and a half from the city. I was thinking that it was a long drive to meet someone for lunch. We were planning to just drive out to see his house and property. I don't have a great desire to be out in nature without a purpose. On the other hand, my husband loves being outdoors, enjoying nature, watching for birds, and hanging out.

I had the expectation of walking through weeds, bugs, and viewing a pond before lunch. The first thing I noticed as we started walking was the dry weeds, stickers, sun in my eyes, and some water. My description of my environment would sound something like this:

We walked through the dry trampled weeds around a blue algae encrusted pond. 

Then I felt the breeze coming across the pond, and my mood brightened. I love to see a lake, pond, or ocean. Being around water somehow feels like freedom to me the way that being out of town feels relaxing to my husband (and his friend.) On the walk back to the house I started seeing the landscape through a different lens. I would describe the walk like this:

This morning I walked through golden strands of flattened grass to gaze across an azure blue pond at the green trees in the distance.

The same experience can be described with very different language. The way I pictured the walk before we got there influenced my mood and experience. But the story I write in my mind creates a negative or positive experience.  The way I describe the experience influences not only how I feel about the experience, but also the mood and the memory I take with me. By writing my experience with positive descriptions and feelings, I create a pleasing memory to carry with me. I have fond memories of the blue pond, golden grass, and nice company.

There are times when it is necessary and important to see and remember the glaring problems of abuse, poverty, and war. We can make room in our minds to consider the suffering of the innocent if we reframe our daily negative thoughts about relatively pleasant experiences. Enjoy the good things: relationships, family, creativity, and health. Listen to your language, thoughts and feelings. Where are they taking you?

20 minutes walking

Walking My Dog

My dog Pepper loves to walk. With head held high, he walks, prances, and runs as much as he can. Although he is a senior, he is always ready to go. He eats the same portions everyday. I could learn a lot from Pepper.

I find it easy to get busy and neglect walking. I have to plan to walk, eat vegetables, and exercise. It's too easy to snack and eat late. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with the love of the outdoors, running, and walking just for the fun of it. Too often I could substitute a snack for a walk. So, I stick with my commitment to walk and write everyday. Keep walking!

30 minutes walking/running (mostly walking)

Coloring

Today I walked to the store to get a coloring book. I found flash cards, activity books, stickers and math exercises, but no coloring books. I wondered what happened to simply choosing your own colors and deciding if you want to color inside or outside of the lines. Observing all of the shades of color in nature, taking a big box of crayons and coloring the different nuances and textures takes observation and creativity. A plain piece of paper works too, but piquing the imagination with a drawing rather than a pre-colored activity book can be loads of fun. It takes imagination for kids to come up with colors adults might find unrealistic. They might be imagining another perspective or a new way of seeing something.

I’ve given workshops on vegetables and color. I hear parents tell children to color the carrot orange when the child chose a different color. Vegetables come in a variety of colors. The vegetable colors we are used to may depend on where we live. In the west people are used to carrots being orange, while in Afghanistan people still eat purple carrots.

As I walked home I noticed all of the shades of green in the trees, grass, and leaves. In the shade the leaves are a very dark green, while in the sunshine the tree branches look Yellow-Green, Lime, and Screamin’ Green. It would take at least the 133 standard Crayola colors to begin to illustrate nature. I came home and found a long list of websites that have free coloring pages to print. I have a big box of Crayolas in the closet. I think I'll try coloring a piece of my walk through the park.

110 minutes walking

Never Too Old to Learn

Traffic lights, sidewalks, cool wind, and buildings. A short walk from the store to my mother's house to help her set up her new iPad. Sometimes called "senior," "elderly," or "the elderly" folks of all ages are sharing family and vacation pictures using electronic devices. My mother is a wonderful reminder that you are never too old to learn. In fact, learning keeps us young and alert.

At the end of a busy day, it is relaxing to take a few moments to visualize the green grass, tall trees, singing birds, and cool breeze. A moment of thankfulness is worth hours of healing.

20 minutes walking

Take a Picture in Your Mind

Wind in my face, movement, action, and growth. Today I took a picture in my mind of a tall tree, trees lining a path, and green grass. Then I looked at the shadows on the sidewalk. The leaves seemed to be taking a walk with me. The leaves rustled on the branches, and I realized I needed to take some videos in my mind. After my walk the pictures are still in my mind although not as clear, but the feeling of freedom and action are still with me. It helps to look at the picture shortly after you take it and then revisit the pleasant moments in meditations and quiet moments.

Take a picture in your mind and you will always have it with you. Take pleasant pictures to remember the good things in life and enhance your optimism. Go new places and look through new eyes. You can go to the same place many times and find something unique and different every time.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
— Marcel Proust

Take pictures of the little things you do to improve your memory. One reason we don’t remember things is that we are not really there in the moment. Stress, things to do, and thinking about tomorrow will distract us from taking a picture in the moment. If you can picture it, you can usually remember it. The next time you go for a walk, notice something new. When you solve a problem or look for a new career, look for things you have never noticed. Look through "new eyes" for opportunities you have yet to discover.

40 minutes walking

Walking Conversation

I had a wonderful "walking conversation" this morning. Walking gives me energy and inspiration. Just being outdoors in the fresh air is healthy and gives me added Vitamin D, but I don't always want to walk. A "walking conversation" makes the walk enjoyable. I can walk for an hour without even noticing the time when I'm having a conversation. Talking and listening skills are important for relationship building, teamwork, leadership, and successful career development. Employers say that communication skills are one of the most important assets an employee can have. Entrepreneurs have an even greater need to communicate in a variety of different styles.

Variety makes life more interesting and keeps the senses sharp. I walk on a different path everyday or notice something new on the same path. I find it easy to have my mind on something I need to do, something I should have done, or something I can't seem to accomplish. Walking in nature and observing the birds and geese finding food, companionship, and exercise outdoors reminds me that I have everything I need if I just look for it. Expecting everything to come to me, doing things the same way everyday, and enjoying indoor conveniences can be very comforting. But stepping out of my comfort zone from time to time opens up new possibilities I hadn't thought of before. If you are experiencing a crisis or transition and nothing seems to be working, try something new. Walk on a different path or choose a different destination. You might find something more amazing than you ever imagined.

60 minutes walking