I Took A Walk

It’s not every day I get to take an actual break. Yesterday, however, I did. With over an hour to spare from one visit to the next, I took a break. I went to the park, and you’ll never guess what happened next! I took a walk.

Yep, I took a walk. Just me and the trees. The birds, the squirrels, and the leaves. I stopped. I stood still. For the first time, in a long time, I breathed. The air was cool and crisp. Lucky me! I took a walk.

Last time I took that walk, at that park, I was not alone. A friend was with me. It was a different time, a different place. The first time I really noticed ______. Funny, that day I didn’t think about _______. My mind was blank as I took a walk.

I don’t know how long it has been since I took a walk. I didn’t even make it out to my favorite park this past spring or summer. How could I allow time/life to just pass me by? I stay so busy, always so busy – full time employee, full time graduate student, mother of three + Missy Kat (who is not a cat). I had time for a break, so I took a walk.

Work, paperwork, visits, deadlines. Studying, teaching, planning, meetings, church, children’s church, field trips, special services. Homework, classes, assignments, papers, reading. Kids, concerts, home, cooking, cleaning, laundry, Missy, floors, lawn, groceries. So many demands. I stay so busy. Not yesterday. Yesterday, I took a walk.

I needed that walk. I need to take a walk every day. I needed to clear my mind, breathe in the fresh air, forget about everything else – just like the old days… When did I become so busy? So busy that I neglected me? What else have I left behind?

I was listening to the radiothe other night and was moved by what I heard. The radio host shared a story of being in grocery store with her young daughter, who loves balloons and her excitement because there are balloons everywhere in the grocery store. The radio host shared that she had never noticed the ballons everywhere. She had thought they were just in this one location. In any case, what dropped in her mind was, “God’s kingdom is like balloons in a grocery store, you have only to look around and see it, take it in, enjoy it.”

My takeaway from the story: We have to stop being so busy! We are so busy that we miss out on living. We miss out on things that are right in front of our eyes. We miss out on our blessings. We miss seeing people in need. We miss seeing our own family. We are busy with this, busy with that, and we fail to notice the beauty of life happening right before our eyes. I took a walk yesterday. I needed that walk. I took time out of my busy schedule, I forced myself to take a break, and I took a walk.

*Original Photos – taken on my walk* I’m glad I took that walk yesterday. Today is cold and wet!