Getting to Know Myself (My Daily Walking Practice - Part 4)
Dear friends,
I begin every day with a walk. On this walk, I release yesterday's thoughts and beliefs, I look up and receive what is, and I attempt to allow the river that is life to flow through me.
I can't contain this river. I can't define it, predict it, or fully understand it… but I can get to know it--by receiving it just as it is, as it comes.
Receiving life as it is frees it to be what it is--infinitely complex and beautiful, new every moment. This "freedom to be" can extend to everything in my life--my wife, kids, friends, work, dreams… it can also extend to me--the real me.
On my daily walk, I get to know myself--my authentic voice--infinitely complex and beautiful, new every moment.
Yesterday's thoughts are not who you are today. They are only carryovers about who you were. And those carryovers were from the days and years and generations before. You are not any of that. You are not who you were 5 minutes ago. There are no words or labels that can define you. No, you are infinitely complex and beautiful, new every moment.
When you give yourself the freedom to be just as you are, you begin to experience yourself as the gift that you really are. You are meant to be enjoyed as you flow through this world. As soon as you try to encapsulate yourself with your personality traits, your career, your possessions, your social status, whatever, you lose yourself.
Every day on my walk I get to know myself--the real me--a little bit more. That may be the whole point of this practice. And I can say from experience, it is one of the best investments I have ever made.
Your path will look different than mine. But you are welcome to borrow my daily walk as a starting point while finding your own. After thousands of miles, over thousands of days, I'm still figuring out what works for me. I think that's the point: if life is truly alive--if I am truly alive--my path will never be set. And as much as I would sometimes appreciate the predictability of a clearly defined path, I know that is not where I will find life. To truly live our life, we have to clear a space for it flow. 🌊
I am inviting a LOT of breath to flow through this body unrestricted, without pushing or holding back.
Something to try: This week, I hope you'll consider dedicating some time to finding your daily practice of releasing, receiving, and being. It may take a couple thousand days or more. So make it sustainable. This is in line with last month's introduction of Generative Resilience. Find a way forward where the way itself is enjoyable. That's how you'll commit to the journey for the long haul.