a couple of weeks ago, i took a walk through a neighborhood close by, along a route that i normally run. what was really interesting about this was how new it started to feel to me the deeper into the neighborhood i got. i've run this particular route probably close to 50 times, but clearly i had never paid much attention to my surroundings. sure, i took it all in from a general standpoint so that i knew i was on the right path and knew how to complete the route back home. and i had thought this was enough. but it was incredible to realize how much i had missed, and how little i really did know this place that i had spent a good amount of time at. there were at least two instances during the walk in which a sense of panic overcame me and i thought that i was lost because all of a sudden none of the houses, cars, mailboxes, or even the cracks in the sidewalk looked like i had remembered them! i had to hurry up to the next corner to double check the street signs, and only then was i reassured that i was, in fact, exactly where i was supposed to be.
like a lot of people, i usually run with an ipod, but i didn't use it that day for my walk. not surprisingly, without the distraction of sound, i was able to better focus on my own senses - the sounds, sights, smells of what was around me. it was very literally and ear-and-eye-opening experience.
i saw this as sort of a metaphor for life. in this case, during my runs i was literally going too fast to really appreciate everything happening around me. and i'm sure a lot of us feel that way about life: it can go so fast, and you just want to slow down and take it all in. so i hope you find some time this weekend for your own inspiration; to get outside in this first hint of crisp fall weather and take in all that nature has to offer.
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