After our week away at the beach that featured a lot of walking, I made it a priority to continue when I returned home. While I have walked my neighborhood countless times, I tried to approach it with a new intention:
I made it a point to mindfully walk, listen, see, smell, and experience it more fully.
For example, I noticed when I walk “normally” that my right foot sometimes scuffs the ground, rather than an even meeting of the ground with my foot. Walking mindfully allowed me to focus on each step being quiet, well-paced and even.
After a while, I switched my focus to seeing with greater clarity and focus what was all around me. While being color blind has denied me some of the tones, shades, and textures, I noticed the berries on the trees, the signs of late summer, the fence in need of cleaning, the sidewalk cracks and wildflowers growing out of clumps of weeds.
I could hear lawns being mowed and trimmed, birds screaming and cicadas playing their song in stereophonic glory.
I focus on my posture, trying to battle the “stoop” and “shuffle.”
This exercise was, in many ways, revelatory. I finished 4 miles with a greater awareness, appreciation, and sense of accomplishment. Not only did I get my “steps in,” but I took the opportunity to change my approach and explore more deeply.
