I always had a love-hate relationship with Twilight Zone. ( If you don’t know what I mean by that, you are too young to read this post.)
A normal person or family, lived their normal life at the beginning of the show. You sat on the edge of your seat because you knew within a few minutes something distinctly weird would happen. Part of you tuned into the show for the “distinctly weird” aspect, but a small part wished normal could continue and those lovely people wouldn’t have their lives messed up.
A dichotomy.
Opposites.
Have you noticed another dichotomy in our lives? On the one hand, the world is horrible, more scary and dangerous than I can ever remember. People are getting sick and dying and it’s ready to attack me as soon as I go outside my door. On the other hand…
Outside my door, winter is over (in spite of the fact that it snowed two days ago) and spring is emerging with aching beauty.
News Flash: You CAN go outside your door. Stay socially distant, but walking outside has kept me sane throughout the pandemic. Through cold and snow, rain, wind, beautiful sun and now spring, I walked. Thirty minutes a day. I see people, we smile as we pass at a safe distance. The world has emerged from its sleep and it’s beautiful.
Going nuts? Eating too much? Licking the window as you stare into the world? Come for a walk with me. Find your sanity.
I need to insert here: I hate exercise. In all forms. I love my couch, my laptop and a good book. So if you have excuses, I have more. But I also have arthritis. Severe. I need to walk. And after almost 5 months of doing so, I will confess…ahem…I miss it if I don’t.
I can’t believe I said that.
If you are a care partner caring for an elder at home, bundle them in a wheelchair and get out the door. The effort will seem beyond crazy. It isn’t. If you are a parent of little ones, stuff cotton in your ears to reduce the effects of whining and zip up those coats. If you have teens, they may need bribery. Bring chocolate. And maybe a friend to socially distant walk with. If you are on your own like me, give yourself a stern talking to. “Do you really want to be unable to walk? Have a stroke? Not be independent?” I have these conversations every day as I boot myself out the door.
Put your senses on high alert. What do you see? God has been waking the world while you hid inside.
- Look – Not just the big picture, but the tiny miracles all around. I walked past that robin’s egg (above) and stepped back to get the picture. Those minuscule blue flowers are easy to step on. But if you get close, they’re lovely. What secrets have you been missing
- Hear – I walk with the earphones on sometimes. But there’s a time to listen to the world around you. The birds are speaking to you.
- Smell – I wish I could do “scratch and sniff.” Pine trees, cedar, the world after a rainstorm…
- Taste – The rain on your face. Wait, you stayed in because it was raining? No! A gentle rain is refreshing. (I repeat. I can’t believe I just said that.)
- Feel – The craggy bark of an ancient tree, the new grass, petals on plants, teenie-tiny leaves.
My title isn’t click-bait. Walking truly has kept me sane throughout days and days and days of being alone.
Ready to give it a try?
CLICK TO TWEET