A Breath of Fresh Air

The weather is turning colder. The branches are almost bare. The pull to walk in the beauty of the green world has receded, and sustained snow is not likely to come quickly. This is the grey/brown in-between time, but our need for sun on our skin and fresh air in our lungs is still present.

Give yourself a present for your well-being. Go outside to breathe, to take in the sky and earth around you, to walk outside your home for a few minutes daily even in the drizzle or cold rain. The experience of being in the sky light even on cloudy days is helpful for our bodies and minds. 

Let it be a time of noticing. There is, of course, the noticing of tasks waiting to be done, but once your mind has noted them let them lessen and notice the forms and colors around you, the sounds, the absence or presence of animals, the color of the air, the daily changes. 

Many of us think of walks as something we go somewhere to do. Many times we can’t take the time out of our day or don’t have the energy for a longer walk. Can you make it a practice to walk outside daily for 10 minutes wherever you are? Maybe downsizing our expectations of what a walk means will get you out the door and into the sun.

How will you imagine and receive this experience? Will it be exercise, a chore, a break? Will it be widening your perspective, pleasure, a breath of fresh air? Will it be different every day?