I got a sharp reminder to enjoy the journey and not just rush for the destination. And guess who taught me that lesson? You’ve got it, that little fella in the photograph. More on him in a minute.
There comes a time to recharge the internal batteries. This week is one of those weeks, and I have given myself permission to see what I am noticing and reconnect myself.
As part of that, I have been focussing on getting in a good 45 minute to 1 hour walk each day AND taking a break from my usual multi-tasking ways to make use of my NET time.
This morning I decided to take my dog with me on my walk. When I walk my dog, he’s not very compliant with walking at my pace. He likes to stop, sniff and meet humans and other dogs.
He’s a very friendly boy.
My strategy when I combine his walk with mine is to take him to the off-leash dog park first. That way he gets to socialise, run around, let off some steam, sniff and do all that dogs do.
And when he’s looking like he’s had enough and is hanging around me, I then take him on my walk. He loves this and is pretty good at keeping up with me.
I have some favourite options on my walks. From the dog park I can head north or south, through the big park or by the river.
Today, I walked by the river and then decided to take a road I hadn’t walked along before. I had noticed a sign that said there was a run route 300m up this road.
Out of curiosity I wondered if this could lead me to a new option for my morning walks. I enjoy a bit of variety as well as the certainty of my usual haunts.
I have lived in this area for well over 5 years, and I had never explored this part of the neighbourhood. I was enjoying the journey on this new adventure, until…
The New Journey Begins
Having enjoyed a pretty much stop free walk from the dog park, we turned into this new road. I was stopped dead in my tracks.
Thunder, my dog, was pulling me back to the signpost. He’s a small dog, only about 8kgs and yet he is almightily strong when he wants to go in a different direction. So strong, I have had to get a lead with a shock absorber built into it to save me having my arm yanked out of its socket!
I gathered myself and gave a gentle, directing tug on the lead to show him which way we were going. No… he wanted to sniff that post. I was a bit firmer and he came towards me.
We continued down the road and had barely gone a few more steps before he had buried his head in a shrub by a wall.
‘Come on‘, I said, with a gentle flick on the lead. No! He was adamant, he was sniffing at his own pace and taking his time to enjoy the journey along this new road!
This process carried on and we had barely gone 20 paces from the corner of the street. I was starting to get irritated.
Luckily, I caught myself and asked myself what was really going on. And this is where I discovered…
Here was I with my agenda, and my dog had his own. He didn’t know any different, it wasn’t his choice to come down this road to find the new walkway. It was my choice and I was taking him with me. It was me becoming irritated that he wasn’t on the same page as me.
He was a dog doing dog things! Happily going about what makes his day interesting, exciting, enjoyable. Making the best of whatever is put in front of him.
When I realised that, I decided I would allow him to explore with all his curiosity this new street and pavement with new dog smells and markers.
Time To Slow Down & Enjoy The Journey
This made me slow down, and stop just focussing on my outcome to find the new walkway by the river. It made me look for something in this new road where I had never been before. To look at this part of the walk as not just a means to an end, but as part of the rich tapestry of life.
To make the journey enjoyable. A reminder to stop and smell the roses.
To see the things we often miss, to experience the ambience, to notice the textures and the colours and to hear the different sounds around me.
To see the water in the bromeliads and the tiny purple flowers.
At one point I found myself in front of a house with a large frontage. It had a brick and wrought iron fence and a very well structured garden.
At first, I was just looking at ground level, and then I looked up and noticed I was standing in front of an enormous Norfolk Island Pine tree. Its perfectly straight trunk was around 60 centimetres in diameter and it stood maybe 50 metres high.
And then I noticed this tree wasn’t alone. In a perfect line there were in fact five of these majestic trees barely 3 metres from where I was standing. I could easily have walked past and not noticed these incredible trees.
It got me thinking about who planted them, how long ago that was, how much love and nurturing they had needed over those years to have them looking so majestic. And these trees were only a small part of this intricate garden. And that this garden was a small part of this whole streetscape.
I was appreciating all the effort that went into the garden and all the plants, trees and wildlife. It helped me to get back in touch with feeling connected, not just walking through at a fast pace with a destination in mind. It’s about enjoying the journey and appreciating what is all around you all the time.
A road I had never travelled on before, a new pathway, a new experience. I slowed down, had reasons to stop at times and it was like someone turned up the music.
I started noticing the different noises of the birds in this street. The variety of trees their shapes and colours. I noticed an occasional faint smell of jasmine.
I noticed the architecture of the houses and apartments. I noticed the different garden styles, I even noticed some interesting statues in one of the gardens.
By slowing it down I got the opportunity to notice the things I wouldn’t have noticed before.
By taking on the same curiosity as my dog, I ended up enjoying that 300m walk even more than I could have imagined. Instead of being irritated by how long it was taking, I didn’t want it to end, I wanted him to stop and sniff more, so I could marvel at this beautiful new experience.
I am not new to walking around the streets to get to know a place really well. I’ve done that for as long as I can remember. Ask my children! They got to walk cities like London, Paris and Rome! At the time, they weren’t so happy about it, however, they have a real sense of those cities.
Today, my dog, in slowing me down reminded me that it was what I needed to do, and took that to a whole new level!
On the way back, I even noticed some papaya growing in a spot I pass by quite frequently and hadn’t noticed before. Once my senses were opened it seems they were picking up everything!
I did find my new river walk and I will go back. It has opened up so many new and varied possibilities going forward.
Where can you enjoy the journey of your life even more?
Life is a journey too. When we look back on our lives we are unlikely to say that we regret enjoying our life too much!
Isn’t the joy of life what we all strive for? Sometime we need to be reminded, as I was today.
Where in your life could you experience more joy as you move along your path?
You may find it in places where you are experiencing the familiar, staying in your comfort zone and not branching out. Those new options, or changes may be just be on the periphery of where you normally operate – it doesn’t have to be a big change.
It doesn’t have to just mean taking a walk. It could be slowing down when you are doing something you are familiar with and taking it all in, instead of taking it for granted.
Or when you try something new, instead of rushing in could you take the time to slow down and take it all in?
This week, why not challenge yourself to find a new road to go down. It doesn’t have to be far out of your way.
Or walk a road instead of driving down it. Notice what you can notice, become aware of the details you wouldn’t usually notice.
Or take your dog for a walk and let them sniff everything while you drink in through all your senses where you are.
Until next time,
LIVE, LOVE, THRIVE & ENJOY