I'm almost a week into Lent and the daily walks are just what the doctor (or priest, as the case may be) ordered. On two different days, my outside walks were mere walks around the block but they weren't any less helpful than the two days I took a legitimate hike in the woods. (Well, I was as close as a girl can get to the "woods" in North Austin.)
I find myself craving the walks and looking at my calendar for an extra 15 minutes so that I can escape into nature (even if nature inlcudes a sidewalk and construction noise). Some days, like today, it's exceptionally difficult to find that time before the sun sets... but so far I've kept my commitment.
Yesterday, I suddenly found myself very blue for no reason at all. It washed over me and tried to drag me down. All of a sudden I proclaimed: "I'm going out for a walk." I walked a different path than the one I usually take in my neighborhood and could actually hear inner-Jenn coaching me and asking me what I wanted from life. By the time I arrived home, I'd found peace and even a little clarity about my goals.
None of this can be solved overnight. I've spent years overburdening myself with activities and adventures meant to serve as distractions to my true purpose. Now that I have very little time to pursue my true purpose, I'm frustrated and drained of energy.
And yet, I am certain that by placing one foot in front of the other, I will arrive at my goal. My job during these walks is to breathe, listen, and "be still" as the Psalmist advised - so that I will know the Truth.
Psalm 46:10
1 comment:
Isn't it funny how sometimes the best way to be still is to take a walk?
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