When you walk, how do you walk exactly?
Odd question, I know.
What I mean is do you look straight ahead or down at the ground? Do you look people in the eye or avert your gaze at all costs? Do you march military style or stroll like it’s Sunday afternoon?
How you walk says a lot.
I look around, I look at people, and I look like I know where I’m going.
For years I couldn’t understand why I got asked for directions or why people so often chatted with me on the bus.
Now I know.
It’s the walk.
But that’s only the day-to-day walk.
There’s another walk I’ve been thinking about.
How do you walk in the world?
Are you light-hearted, downtrodden or skeptical? Optimistic, resentful or curious?
What’s your way of being when you walk through life?
Just like your physical stride, this walk speaks volumes.
Which reminds me of Emerson’s quote, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
I walked another labyrinth last night. One painted on the floor of a beautiful old church in downtown Vancouver. And just like human beings, labyrinths have personalities. Well, I think they do anyway.
This one reminded me to lighten up and I completed my walk with a spring in my step.
One of the things I love about labyrinths is how they continue to work on you after you’ve walked.
An hour later in the quiet of my home, the word wonder came to mind.
wonder: to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe
And I thought, how right to be filled with wonder on Thanksgiving.
Now, here’s the thing. . .being Canadian, I celebrated Thanksgiving a month ago, but can there ever be too much gratitude and wonder?
I think not!
So I wonder about. . .
my clients – courageous, inspiring beings who amaze me every single day
my colleagues – so many extraordinary coaches, therapists, consultants out to make a difference in the world
my friends – oh my friends, those souls who lift me up, keep me on track and love me no matter what
my family – far away or in the next room, always in my heart
So much wonder it makes a heart beat faster in delight.
To my American friends, know that you are loved and appreciated on this day of thanksgiving.
To the rest, may you too walk in wonder as you walk your own path.
Ha! The first thing that came to mind was how I once tried to change my walk…I wanted to be sexier and added a swivel to my hips for awhile (it didn’t stick).
But looking back at that it actually did reflect where I was in life – as a young woman pursuing a career in film, something inside me wanted to be seen as sexy, despite that not being what was natural for me (though my boyfriend would beg to differ).
I love how aware you are of being in your body!
Love this post, Sandi. You are the Queen of Wonder — a mixture of curiosity, open-mindedness, and readiness to be surprised, delighted, and inspired. It makes you a great coach, a wonderful friend, and a very wise woman. Yes, that is how I see you whether you see yourself that way or not! 😉
My walk these days is not my natural walk due to complications after an operation. So I don’t feel like myself when I move across the surface of the planet. But each day it is getting a bit easier, a bit more familiar, a bit closer to the me I used to be.
My walk through life? These days not my natural walk due to complications of being human. So I don’t feel like myself when I move through my life. But each day it is getting a bit easier, a bit more familiar, a bit closer to the me I used to be.
The walk back to ourselves — never quite complete until our journey on the planet is complete and we return to who we really are.
Carol,
I understand the discomfort of having your natural walk displaced by physical challenges. Some days my shadow looks like that of a very tired, old woman! But I’m noticing more and more how shifting how I walk in the world positively impacts my physical walk. That is a blessing.
Hi Sandi,
My walk depends on what I am doing at the moment. If it is a relaxing Sunday doing some sight seeing than I am casual. If I am in “work mode” than I have a more deliberate motion to my walk.
I make eye contact when I am getting a strong message across to another. But if the person that I am talking to is not an eye contact person than I will match and mirror them to gain some rapport.
take care…
I get that Justin and I agree. I was thinking more from an internal perspective. How I walk in the world has very little to do with others, and everything to do with how I want to show up. Hope that makes sense 🙂
It does make sense Sandi. 🙂
There is a labyrinth sandwiched in an unlikely garden in Lansing. It’s between a medical office building and a parking ramp (a particularly awful ramp where accidents happen regularly). I’ve walked that one many times, and love it.
I was at a Dominican Sisters’ building this year. In their lobby was a small wooden labyrinth the size of a small table game board. It could be placed on one’s lap, and “walked” by running a finger around the labyrinth channel in the wood. Some of the Nuns who live there are getting older, and it seemed lovely to have a way to walk a labyrinth without actually walking.
I sometimes promise myself a walk in the labyrinth, it’s only about 2 miles from our house. I need to make good on that promise more often.
Yes Lynn, do! There’s something magical about walking a labyrinth. Every time I do I start off skeptical and every time I end up inspired.
Lighten up! I hear that! Walk in wonder! I heart that. Thank you.
I heart you Sandra.