7 Lessons Learned from a Walk in Nature
I’m sure we have all heard before that when you are stressed you should unplug and spend some time in nature. Sometimes I will sit out in my backyard under the trees or take my dog on a walk around the neighborhood or at a local park across the street. But for this day I wanted something more. I didn’t want to see any buildings or hear any cars, I wanted to be surrounded by trees and get lost. So, I decided to make the drive to a trail near my house. Let me tell you when you are open to the signs around you the lessons are everywhere. These were my takeaways from my walk in nature,
1. Don’t always pick the easiest path – This is a new trail to me, so I have not tried all the various color paths yet. On this day I thought I would try something different and went with the red line and connect to the green. Well the red line started off nice and easy with wide walkways evenly cleared and flat terrain with minimal inclines. It was perfect for a nice Friday afternoon stroll. Then turning on the green path there was an instant change, the path was very narrow, a majority of the walk was up hill and the roots of the trees covered the walkway requiring you to cautiously watch your step.
If I had known what laid ahead of me on the green line I probably would have stayed on the red – maybe another time, this was supposed to just be an easy walk. That’s life though isn’t it? There are times where we just want to coast, not have to put in so much extra effort, enjoy the view and not have to watch every step we take. But life throws those curveballs whether we ask for them or not. At the end of the green line I ended up with a beautiful view overlooking the river surrounded by the marsh. If I had decided not to go this route because it was little challenging I would have missed this incredible view. Sometimes it might be best that we don’t know every step ahead of us – but instead to trust the process that we will end up right where we are supposed to be including all the views we are supposed to have on the way.
2. You set the tone- As I mentioned I took my dog on this walk, she is a little anxious especially when in new places. Her go to move when we are walking is to go as quickly as we can so we can hurry up and get home. Well at first I was trying to sooth her and encourage her to slow down with some treats and when that didn’t work I got anxious with her. I quickened my pace and fed into her nervousness of “lets hurry up and get out of here”. After a solid 10 minutes of speed walking I realized I am completely letting my dog take control of this situation. We are out on a lovely walk and in a beautiful place to calm my thoughts and connect with nature- not speed walk by it. I have the power to set the tone here, so I did. I just walked slower, she could pull all she wanted but I was not going to change my pace to accommodate her. Sure enough after a minute of that she calmed down and we got to enjoy the remainder of our leisurely walk.
I know I am guilty of that in life as well. When a co-worker is in a tizzy or if my husband comes home in a bad mood it definitely impacts me. It’s almost as if I absorb whatever energy or feeling is around me. But if I am aware of the experience I want to have – or how my day at work goes or my evening at home – I can decide to not join that anxiousness and set my own tone. Maybe they will even join my pace. Set the tone you want.
3. Stop and take it all in – There were lots of little benches spaced out along the trail. After our power walk it felt nice to take a break to reset the tone for the walk going forward. There are some benches that are purposefully positioned for their beautiful views. Then there are some that are unremarkable and just there to offer a rest. No matter where you get a chance to stop and take a break enjoy it. The beautiful view might be right around the corner.
When life gives you breaks enjoy it! Take some deep breaths and enjoy the beautiful scenery around you. The little moments become the big takeaways – whether you are on a bench with a view or not.
4. Which way do I go? – As we were walking on the trail there was a clear fork in the road with no markings. I instantly got intimated and looked around to make sure I wasn’t missing the color marking somewhere. Mid slight panic I kind of gave myself a pep talk of -okay, this is not clearly marked, you are a smart person let’s figure this out, you can always walk back and try it again. As I started down one path I realized they both connected again a little ways down. There was clearly no need to panic or problem solve because I was going to end up in the same place regardless.
Life can feel like so many decisions at times- so many different paths we can choose. It can feel really daunting am I picking the right one? Or if I pick the wrong one, will I get stuck, or in a bad situation? What if we just picked one, instead of going back and forth in our minds and creating lists of pros and cons but we just picked whichever option stood out or we gravitated towards. What if we focused more on what we wanted our end goal to look like and not worry so much about all the little things along the way. Maybe let’s not put so much focus on the path we are on but the destination we want to reach.
5. Learn from the trees- Once we finally slowed down from the marathon pace I really took some time to notice the trees. To look up in the sky and just see all the green leaves almost painted all around me. Trees are pretty incredible when you think about it. They are solid and secure at the base and then have these dainty little leaves almost like their fingertips. The base has made it through all sorts of seasons and will continue to grow exactly as they are and the leaves are only there for a short amount of time. When the wind blows the trunk doesn’t waver, it is the constant. But the leaves dance in the wind almost like they know their time with the tree will be short so to have fun with it.
That is the balance in life. To be equally trunk and leaf. To have the stability and base of support like the trunk provides but also to enjoy life and have passions/interests like the dancing leaf. We all think we are here for the long haul, that we are putting down our roots and establishing our life but what if our experience is cut short? Don’t put all your emphasis on the trunk because you don’t want to miss out on all the beauty that is the leaf.
6. Don’t let the clouds stop you from having the adventure you want to have- This day was an over cast and cloudy day with a chance of rain later on in the afternoon. Mid way through the walk the clouds started looking more like rain clouds rolling in. We were already halfway through the walk so there was not a whole lot we could do. As we were walking my inner voice was going to town saying what a bad idea this was and what would we do if we got stuck in a thunderstorm. After a minute I realized that kind of self talk was not being kind to myself or productive. Turn that off!
At the end of the day life is going to throw all sorts of seasons your way. Some you will be prepared for and some you won’t. Only you have the choice to show up and be good to yourself along the way. Be kind to yourself, always.
7. Check the weather- Okay in this particular instance it did pour down rain. We were about a mile away with no coverage and it was a pounding type of rain where you could barely see ahead. Sure, it started off a light drizzle and I thought, ‘Okay let’s walk quickly and get out of this but if we get a little wet it’s no big deal.’ Well that only lasted a few minutes before the skies just opened up and we got soaked. It literally looked like I went swimming with my clothes on. The ground instantly got muddy and slippery which made it a challenge to walk quickly. We could either sit under a tree or keep walking. Tread lightly you don’t want to slip and fall but you have to keeping moving forward.
Sometimes in life it will pour, it is unavoidable, and you just have to make it through. There are times where we all want to put the covers over our head and just avoid the downpours in life. The bad news is they are not going anywhere. Be kind to yourself. Create little moments to take care of you, be your own umbrella. When you are ready, take steps to move in the direction you want to be in. You are the only one who can change the course and get yourself out of the rainstorm.
Below are some of my favorite things that I use when going out on a walk. If it is on the page then I personally own it and would recommend it to a friend. (Full disclosure I am an Amazon Affiliate and I do earn a small fee on eligible purchases at no extra cost to you.) First off the yoga pants are a great quality, they are thick but also buttery soft. Whenever I do laundry they are the first pair I wear again. I used to only buy name brand sneakers but I needed a new pair and couldn’t find any that I liked with a reasonable price tag - I tried these out and I LOVE THEM. My foot is a little wider and these are so comfortable! I prefer them over any other sneaker I own. The bicycle shorts are so soft they almost feel silky, they are perfect for the warmer weather. When going on a walk it is essential to have a good bug spray with you, I prefer this kind because you can actually smell the lemon and eucalyptus. I never leave my purse in my trunk anymore (someone actually broke into my car after they watched me put my purse in my trunk and only took my credit cards and went on a big shopping spree - I always thought a purse locked in the trunk of your car was safe but it is not. Just a FYI) so now I use a fanny pack. This one is a good size and it comes in a variety of colors and patterns. And lastly a water bottle. So I just recently started using this kind that turns your water more alkaline. I like this one because there is not a baggy down at the bottom and it is easy to change out the filter.
