Over the last two days, I’ve finally gotten back to talking daily walks in my neighborhood. Because of the winter we’ve had, it’s literally been months since I’ve been able to get out. I realized the first morning how much I’ve missed it.
Even though, throughout the winder, I continued to exercise either at the gym or in front of my t.v. watching an exercise video, nothing beats getting out in nature.
The road in this picture is one that I spend a lot of time on when I visit a little retreat center not too far from my home. I bet I could walk on it most of the day and hardly see a person or a car. Just country, and an occasional animal.
One summer, when I had a lot on my mind, I walked about two hours in the morning, and two hours in the evening. Not only did my mind clear, my whole system benefited. I’ll have to make a weekend visit there sometime soon.
As I continue to do my doctoral research, one thing is becoming clearer and clearer to me. Most of us are living sedentary lifestyles, and as each day passes between physical activity, we are negatively impacting our health. The contribution I hope to make through my doctoral project is to help people make connections between diet, exercise, and spiritual growth.
Although I can’t call St. Ignatius of Loyola, who called himself The Pilgrim in his autobiography, up on the phone to take a walk with me, I can and do think about him and the spiritual insights he left us when I’m out on the country roads all around me. In spirit, he’s right there next to me, urging me on, challenging me to find God in all things. With a little imagination, it can be the same for you.
Get outside today, wherever you are, and get walking.
