LOSING THE BATTLE

I haven’t been able to walk as much as I like lately. You know that already. My body is on forced sabbatical while my brain is fully engaged and enraged with my desire to hit the streets. The ongoing conflict is not pretty and the body is winning most of the battles right now. I am confident that the war will be won by my desire to walk as I used to.

To be clear, I am not wheelchair bound or anything close to it. However, I am not able to do the speed, distance, or frequency of walking that I am accustomed to. That bothers me – a lot!

For me walking is both a physical and spiritual practice. Walking is momentum forward in both arenas. Each step is a step toward the goal of a healthier lifestyle.

Once upon a time, I would look at someone strolling and think to myself, “waste of time.” Now that stroller is me. Once upon a time, walking was only physically rewarding if the degree of intensity got my heart rate to a predetermined level. How narrow minded of me to think such?

I have come to appreciate the effect that walking has on my listening skills. Whether walking the trails at the Greenway or the asphalt in the neighborhood, I rely on my ears. I hear before I see the car. I hear the red-bellied woodpecker high above me in the trees. I may never see him. In other words, walking integrates me into the environment outside the walls of my home.

As I honor the current limitations of my body, I can’t help but long for the sights and sounds of the outside world. I have an appreciation for strollers. Perhaps they know what I was yet to learn… the world speaks when we slowdown and listen.

Just the other day, my housemate walked into the “she shed” and said, “what do you do up here all day?” I replied with a smirk, “I seek the meaning of life.” I could have easily also said, “I seek clarity.” The sun was shining brightly, the temperature was moderate, it was the kind of day that a walk outside would have replenished my creative supply under normal circumstances.

Reflecting on that interchange, I realized that I am certainly winning the war, just not the way I am accustomed to. I wish you could see the acrylic painting I completed of the scene outside the “she shed.” I have never painted before. I am walking forward. My creative supply is being replenished. I get it! I still miss walking. Oh well – one day soon.

Proverbs 1:5

PONDER THIS THOUGHT---“It is solved by walking.” Saint Augustine