[2021-03-31] So much more
I took a solo walk this morning—something I haven't done in some time. I prefer walking with someone, as it makes the distance seem shorter. But since my walking buddy is nursing a sore ankle, I decided that I needed to get back into the habit of a morning walk, partner or no partner.
So I channeled Grace Kelly, who said: "I love walking in the woods, on the trails, along the beaches. I love being part of nature. I love walking alone. It is therapy. One needs to be alone, to recharge one's batteries."
My walk took me past a playground (Hewitt Park), across a bridge in the woods (Katimavik Woods Park North), and alongside a stream (Cattail Creek Park). It helped me to recharge my mental battery even as it drained my physical battery—a worthwhile tradeoff, I believe.
Being alone gave me an opportunity to think about my life. The prevailing thought in my head today was "What if you fly?"—that most optimistic of questions that ponders not "What will you do if you fail?" but rather "What will you do if you succeed?"
Perhaps I thought of this because of what a friend wrote to me last night: "There is so much worth fighting for," she proclaimed. "So much more life to live." I agree and would add: "So much more love to give."
I've always felt that it's easiest to give when we start from a place of abundance. But abundance is perception as much as reality. As Cyndie Spiegel writes in today's entry in A Year of Positive Thinking, "Instead of focusing on what you don't have, consider what you do have." She encourages readers to write a gratitude list, using the simple prompt: "I am grateful for...."
Included in my list of gratitude today was spring and outdoor smells, trees and babbling brooks, rain hats and running shoes, wide paths and courteous strangers, family and friends, compliments and resilience.
I had forgotten how therapeutic a solo walk can be—even in the rain. I hope that you have a chance to get out for a stroll in the days ahead and to contemplate what you are grateful for.
