INSIGHT OUT
Where Will Your Walk Take You? By Adina Morris
Do you like to take walks? I love to walk! I have been taking walks since I was 16. At first it was a method of exercise that I set in place for myself one summer in camp. I was on staff and we had our own set of two person bunkhouses one next to the other with a wrap around porch connecting all of us together. Every day I would walk the wood planked porch. The porch was quite long and wide. It was a very specific path, as it was the length of the porch and I would make three rounds each day. As I got older, walking turned into not just daily exercise for myself, but a way for me to clear my head. It was a time to think about what was going on that day or week and what was coming up. More and more my walk became a time for me to reflect on what was going on in my life or what I wanted there to be in my life. Walking became a way for me to create plans for the future and for the here and now. Walking became my space to figure out complicated issues at school, work and in relationships. Sometimes walking was my way to blow off steam from a particularly challenging day or draining issue I faced.
As an adult, I still love to take walks, however it became harder for me to fit in once I had a family and many more responsibilities. I would still walk whenever I could or use my trusty treadmill if there was inclement weather, although it was more sporadic than I would have liked.
Two years ago I found that my work and family life had created a bit of flexibility in my schedule and I started walking daily again. This time, however, the walk was different. I would walk around my neighborhood and never really pay attention to where I was going or the length of my walk. They were more of a meandering around my neighborhood. There was no particular direction, path or plan to my walks. I wanted the walks to be relaxing and a form of exercise, but there was an element missing from them that I used to have. They were still enjoyable, but I wasn’t getting the same clarity after a long walk that I used to. In a lot of ways it symbolized where I was in my work life. I was at a crossroads and I was looking at many different options, but not finding The option that I was seeking.
Last year, our neighborhood was blessed with a fantastic new walking path, a two mile loop. I was thrilled when the path was finally ready for use. I not only had a great path to walk on daily, I now also had my direction back again. I could plan my walks more carefully as now I knew exactly how long the stretch took me to complete and I was finding it easier to squeeze into my day. I am still enjoying the beautiful scenery on my walk, but now I have added back in that extra dimension of space that was missing. I use the time to listen to a set class or work through a particularly difficult situation in my mind or on the phone with a friend or colleague. Somehow having that set two mile path has put me back on a map going places. It is taking me much further than those two miles each day. I am more productive, alive and energetic. I am also finding the life direction that was alluding me before. The path has put the purpose back into my walk and direction back into my step and subsequently back into my life.
My old method was still good for walking, just not much for direction. Somehow the lack of physical direction in my walks became a lack clarity and direction in my life. It’s not like I didn’t know the neighborhood, it was more that I allowed myself to wander the neighborhood without direction. This allowed my mind to wander in no particular direction as well. I think that is why I wasn’t getting much clarity from my walks. It was like I was going in circles and not really getting anywhere in particular. Sometimes it is good to go off the beaten track to re-energize yourself, but not for too long. If you go in circles for too long, you get dizzy! I was tired of circles, it was making me dizzy. I am grateful to have found my way back on to my path and as I start the new year, I look forward to seeing where my walks will take me next.
This year look into your life and see where you could use more direction, and put more purpose back into your every day. Wishing everyone a healthy and successful New Year! Lifedirection#