Walk in the Woods.

I planned on going to the gym this morning after dropping my kids off at school. I hate the gym; the meatheads, the fake boobs, the awful club music, and the sweaty machines. But, I do appreciate the time to myself and the cardio-vascular benefit. Anyway, while on route to the gym, I decided to change course. It's freezing out, but I thought the fresh air would do me good. I parked my car at home and opted for a walk in the elements. I popped my headphones in and turned on my trusty IPOD, which promptly died on me, great!

I contemplated going in the house, charging my IPOD and walking later, but I already had momentum going, so I forged ahead, sans music, with only the thoughts in my head to entertain me. As I was mentally mapping out my course, I reached the end of the road and realized that I could walk in the woods. I am fortunate enough to live a block away from some great hiking trails, but somehow I always lose sight of this. I guess it's because I grew up in Central Jersey, which meant little time spent in the woods.

The moment I stepped onto the trail, I felt my body calm and my mental chatter quiet. In fact everything was quiet, except for the sound of a pileated woodpecker. I don't know much about birds, but my Mom is passionate about them, so I've picked up a little knowledge. A pileated woodpecker looks just like Woody Woodpecker, you know, black and white body with a red head. It's an amazing sound to hear their beak against a tree, because it echoes through the entire woods; you can’t help but marvel at that.

As I hiked along the trail, I became acutely aware of each step, each sight and sound. When you have kids you often feel like you're flying from place to place, never completing a thought or cup of coffee, for that matter. It was a real treat to be completely unencumbered for a little while; this time in the woods was just what I needed.

Before heading back onto the street, I turned around to get one last look at the woods. I was surprised to see the sun beaming back at me, since the morning had been so cloudy. I took this as a sign that I had made a mindful decision today. As soon as I started walking down the road, I felt thoughts begin to pour back into my head. I attempted to push them away, but they persevered. Somehow it was much easier to stay in the moment and tame my "monkey mind" while I was in nature. Sometimes you need wander in order to find clarity; I think we could all benefit from getting“lost” in the woods from time to time.
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