My daily walk brings me so much more than just exercise. (I guess that must be why I’ve never struggled to maintain the habit…)
I get to appreciate nature — not theoretically but as an immediate physical reality.
I get to jump into the middle of the present moment. To leave other worries behind and pay attention to what’s in front of me right now.
But this opportunity often gets discarded by default if I just leave things to chance.
I may set out with good intentions… But I’m often distracted before I realise it. And I can stay stuck in unpleasant and unproductive rumination for the rest of the walk.
And trying “not to be distracted” is fighting a losing battle. What works for me is to have something positive to notice instead.
Best of all is when I do this not just in passing. But in great detail.
And not just random attention. But noticing something that provokes wonder, appreciation, and joy. Then it becomes almost effortless.
Trees and clouds are my favourite sources of inspiration here.
One or the other is almost always present. And they give so many small details that I can choose to lose myself in when I catch myself tempted to give only cursory attention.
I can always choose to go deeper. They push me to dive into the moment. To bathe in the moment.
Let’s start with trees. So many different types! And I’m blessed to have loads of them around in my walks near home.
They change with the seasons. Not just absence of leaves in the winter, and the varying and vibrant shades of green in the summer. But it’s watching the and observing the gradual change from day to day. Keeps you aware of nature.
I particularly love looking at the bark. So many different types of trunks between different tree species. But even on one single tree itself, there’s huge amounts of variation to see. It’s almost fractal if you just allow yourself to look.
The branches form different patterns and networks. Whether they’re stretching up or weeping down… covered in leaves or bare. Swaying in the wind or beautifully still.
And then there’s the chance to imagine what’s not seen. The whole root system beneath branching everywhere too.
And if I’m tired of trees, I can choose to look up instead.
The bare sky is beautiful in itself on a clear day. There’s nothing better for a quick shot of joy and motivation and uplifting my heart than a bright blue piercing sky.
But there’s something much richer with clouds.
Once I’ve gazed at an open sky for a bit then I’ve drunk my fill. But clouds repay continued attention.
So many different types. And so many variations when you look across the sky. And then again in the details found in just one small cloud.
The wider panorama makes me feel like there’s a new oil painting every direction I look. But these paintings are not static. There are subtle changes with every passing minute.
Like the tree trunks, I guess there’s an almost fractal quality to it. You can keep looking deeper and deeper and see more details at each level you go to.
I still easily get lost in thoughts as I’m walking. But once I’ve enlisted the trees and clouds as partners in my aim to stay ‘awake’ then they’re always there as a reminder.
I merely have to look and see.