Present Moment Joy

I love journal writing about what brings me joy and healing.

Before Charlie (our 4-year-old granddaughter) comes to visit this morning I go for a fast walk up a nearby hill. The breeze blows into my face, needling through my fleece and light pants. I am cold. My mind chatters resistance to walking up the hill. “I’ll go halfway, it is way too cold, I need warmer clothes.”

I begin practicing mindful walking by first focusing my attention fully on what I see (without labelling or inner commentary). Next, I shuttle my full attention to hearing… then to walking…to feeling my feet upon the earth... and repeat. I feel a shift – my cranky resistance slips away.

A childhood memory arises within of my lifelong joy of being outside. Cool. Cold. Wind. Blizzard. Alberta prairie winters. No matter. I am outdoors! Joyful aliveness infuses me.

I have reached my destination atop the hill. Rather than turn back, my joy pushes me onward. At the end of our subdivision, I walk the dirt road into a parcel of land once slated for development. The project failed; I tread in blissful silence. A path opens into the towering forest. 

The trees call me. The creek chimes. Reverently, I enter the dark passage into the ancient Douglas Fir and Cedar forest. Cloaked in mystery, the silent sentinels of this far-flung forest infuse me with their healing balm.

I breathe in…feeling the great Mother Earth beneath my feet. Gratitude of being here – in this present moment – buoys me.