My View

I've been going on a lot of walks lately. Sometimes I circle my neighborhood round and round, other times I venture to the hillsides of Orange County, the one gently wedged between the freeway and the Ocean. It's a beautiful thing really...seeing the freeway disappear into the distance as the hilly landscape consumes my view, eventually birthing an ocean that feels so close, and yet so far.

Walking has been the only form of exercise that has sounded even remotely appealing lately. My exercising seems to rotate in patterns, and right now I can't help but crave fresh air and the white noise that comes from both city life and nature's cry. Sometimes I bask in the silence, other times I drown out my thoughts with music. On occasion I am even joined by a friend to keep conversation afloat as my feet hit the pavement step after step. All experiences are welcome, and sometimes craved.

I guess you could say walking creates a fantastic opportunity for self-reflection as well. In the stillness of life as I leaves steps behind me, my brain has the chance to think (or not think) about whatever it wants. It's good to let the mind run free sometimes...it's good for the soul.

One of the key things I've noticed actually has to do with how I walk. I don't know if you've ever paid attention to how you walk, but it's worth considering. As I take each step I realize I am constantly looking at the step before me, head hung low, eyes on the ground. If it's pavement I'm hitting then cracks and splotches of gum are what catch my eye. And if their is earth beneath me, then you can be sure I'm looking for sticks and stones, cracks, grooves, and puddles of water. Like a child following the, "step on a crack, break your mama's back" motto, I avoid cracks like the plague and puddles as if I were the wicked witch of the south. I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing I have some sub-concious concern about tripping to my own death.

So why does this matter? It matters because it means that as I carefully watch each step occur and pass me by, I am missing out on the incredible view before me. If only I lift my head just a few inches, my view is filled with beauty and a greater perspective on all that lies before me. Each step I focus on, I miss out on the big picture.

I spend a lot of my life living this way. Today is all I have and all I am called to do anything with. Matthew 6:34 says, " Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Somehow I manage to worry about both today AND the future.  I question the future as much as I stress about the present, literally causing myself physical pain in some instances. In all my worry and stress, I forget to lift my head. I miss out on the beauty that surrounds me and the vastness of life. I forget what brought me here and why I have a life worth living.

Life is so much bigger than the steps before or behind me. It's bigger than the questions I have or the worries I face. Now is the time to lift my head and remember why I was put on this earth. I was created for so much more than worry.