Friends, I realized something recently. Well, make that "lots" of somethings.
No, really! I've come to understand (because of maturity, probably) that time passes us so quickly and if we're not careful, we can become so immune to it that we build up a resistance to, so that it neglects to permeate our souls. In other words, if we don't allow the world, more specifically, those "special" things that give us drive, fuel our passion, and cause us to come alive, then, in essence, we are not feeding our inner beings and merely letting our world "cruise by." All that to say, we need to make room for the wind to blow between our toes. Seriously! Have you ever just paused on a summer afternoon, all that you're doing, removed your footwear, and really felt the wind blow through your toes? It's magical. You can't see the wind but it's there. This simple analogy reminds me of the effects that God has on my life. In some situations, I don't recognize or acknowledge that value, being His presence in my life for a variety of reasons. But, when I do, and I remove my sneakers, sandals or pumps and feel this wind whisking away between my size 6 feet, I am reminded that He has been present with me all along.
Anyway, all that to say - I watched a Hallmark Movie yesterday with my cats (haha!) and I stumbled upon something. Well, besides the fact that all Hallmark movies end with the same "happily every after," and in real life those relationships/marriages are actually very hard work. This guy and gal work together on trying to make the most "perfect" wedding for their mutual friends and end up falling in love themselves. Throughout the movie, I discovered that I really resonated with the female character. She never allowed herself to let her "guard down" and experience "love" because it came with the potential of "too much hurt and pain" and that just wasn't worth risking. I learned that like this character, I too, experience the discomfort of not letting my guard down because I am uncertain of what "may" or "may not happen."
I've shared this analogy before. Sometimes, I feel like I am a racing horse with blinders on either side of my eyes, racing forward through life, without looking on who is to the left or to the right of me in the arena. I've recently come to terms with this illusion that if I continue at this speed, I will miss all of the chances "to love" with potential relationships, regardless if they travel anywhere far. I'm working on this characteristic as we speak and I know that I will be mudding through it over the duration of my life.
Second, a lot can be said about morning walks. The hardest thing for me to do sometimes, is getting up early to go for a walk. It's establishing the routine that's challenging for me, but, once it's there, I can accomplish it with ease. On morning walks, I do my best thinking. Life is just waking up and I get to see all sorts of creatures that I would typically miss on an afternoon run. Engaging in morning walks helps me to slow down and wake up, to embrace the "fast paced" feeling of the day with persevering stamina. I love seeing the little rabbits, the flocks of birds migrating to their nests or overtaking that of a fellow neighboring bird, and the occasional car going up and down the hills that I climb. My best thoughts or ideas occur when I'm out walking. I love when I do conquer the difficulty of waking up early and interacting with the outdoors long before I dive into the world of social media. (Because, who really needs to check their Instagram at 6:00am?) We all have things that we're working on and waking up early sometimes and removing myself from the "picture perfect world" of social media are two of them.
Last, I find that as I give myself permission to "slow down" at the beginning of the day rather than the latter, I am able to pick up on nuances better. For example, I am able to notice the minute things in people and observe life in an intricate way. Now, I don't want you to think that all I do is go to coffee shops and read while doing the occasional "people watching." (There is SO much that we can and still have, to learn from each other! Another post on that for a future time.) I want to convey the notion that because I've allowed myself to interact with nature early on, I am refreshed to put forth a greater amount of effort into my work during the day. I am also keenly aware of people's interactions, or lack thereof, with each other.
Yesterday, when I went to the gas station, the attendant at the full service building had these striking blue eyes. Now, I'm not saying that because I went on a morning walk that I was more attuned to his physical outward appearance. However, I hadn't really picked up on these features in people before. As a teacher, I've become astute in reading non verbal body language and this man's striking blue eyes were no laughing matter. (no pun intended :) ) They were the kind of eyes that you may see on a summer day, when the sky hugs the clouds thousands of miles above the earth, on an exotic island, above the shores of an aquamarine beach. His eyes had the ability to convey a message of kindness, genuineness, and humility. Granted, it was a mere 5 minute interaction at most, but I am hopeful that this small interaction is a foreshadowing of what is to come; in that, I hope someday, I will be able to interact with a man like this and get to know him well, even if it starts with just looking into his eyes, because, to me (and I understand it sounds cliché, "eyes are the windows to the soul.")
Speaking of "someday," you should totally read the book, Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (yes! The woman who plays the mom, Lauralie from the TV Series, the Gilmore Girls.) I just purchased it yesterday and can't put it down. It's been in my "hot little hands" as my mom used to say about me when I was young. I see myself in the main character and am excited to show you the website, by clicking the above link in the book title.
That's all for now.
Have a wonderful day!
~alex
