April 9,

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms. ~Thích Nhất Hạnh

Lately a group of women and I have been enjoying a book by Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World. It is a study on noticing the presence of God in the world each day, and opportunities to make a connection. Walking has been a subtopic explored this week. Walking to notice and experience the life that surrounds us and seeing the beauty in it.

The need for exercise has always been a top priority for me. I feel better with exercise because it clears out the cobwebs of my mind and fills me with renewed energy and optimism. In my younger days exercise had to be added to a time slot that fit with work and family. Time was the driving force. These days I have been unraveling the time piece of exercise and enjoying the process of it. Being present in my outings and noticing the places around me and above me is a gift of peace. This contrast from time dominated exercise to mindfulness driven is still a work in progress. I appreciate and am grateful for the desire to be more present and notice my step.

In this image a dear lover of adventure friend and I were hiking Maroon Pass. The flowers were in full display and playing a silent symphony of wonder and beauty. The mountains were colored with fresh green grass and the sky, the bluest of blue with cotton candy clouds. We had time.Time to enjoy conversation, time to notice the arrangement of flowers and bumble bees sampling their sweetness, time to look all around us and enjoy the steps to our destination. It was not driven just by the destination but the journey as well. At the end of the day we were satiated and grateful. We were thrilled about the epic hike, but also the time we spent enjoying nature and each other.

I am grateful for this contrast of moving from getting through a task to a more enjoyable journey of the process.

Peace.