I’m a planner, I admit it. It’s one of my strengths, both socially and in the business world. I know my schedule weeks in advance. There’s room for modifications but, for the most part, I’m the one driving my bus.
Every once in a while I feel it – a nudge. A thought, fleeting or lingering, reminding me to stop looking out and start looking around.
Yesterday was one of those days.
Here is a glimpse at the internal dialogue that occurred between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.
Another Dentist appointment, ugh.
Beautiful sunny morning, yay!
Dentist office 1.6 miles away, hmm.
Walk? Why not!
Put on sneaks, grab phone, ID, and garage door opener and go!
A half block from home the inner lizard chimes in: you’re not going to make it, you’ll be late (I hate being late).
Legs keep moving.
2 blocks later, arms swinging, mouth smiling, the lizard chimes again: you’re going to arrive there all sweaty and hot.
Legs keep moving.
3 blocks later, roofers working, neighbors talking, birds singing, mouth chirps out, “Good morning!”
Legs keep moving.
1 mile later, traffic moving, kids playing, lizard makes one last attempt to turn me around, “Aren’t you hot? Aren’t you tired? This is stupid.”
Nope. Mouth smiling. Hair bouncing. Legs moving. Arms swinging.
Arrive at Dentist office where I sit. Cool down. Recover.
And roll in the joy of being fully alive.
“You gotta be in the NOW to create and experience the WOW!”
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
When’s the last time you changed things up? What was it and how did you feel?
*all images from Google.com
With your pechant for scheduling and mine for going with the flow, I can imagine it would be very interesting if we pooled resources for a day trip. 😉
But don’t I love that sign about the bull! It’s only true, of course, if the bull isn’t Ferdinand. Remember him — the flower-sniffing bull of children’s tales? He would spend a couple of hours getting across that pasture, enjoying the WOW! all the way across. Maybe my exposure to Ferdinand on a regular basis during my childhood shaped my adult responses.
Of course, I do live a life that tolerates a good bit of laissez-faire. Happy day to you!
Yes it would – I would plan the trip, you could research the off road delights, and together we’d have a blast 🙂 !!
I loved Ferdinand … sigh. That was one of our dog, Frankie’s, nicknames. He loved to wander through the peonies and sniff des fleurs! Have a wonderful day 🙂 MJ
The lizard chimed in and tried to get me to stay in bed this morning. I forced my body to move. Your post is inspiring me to move even more. Thank you. Your story also makes me laugh out loud. 🙂
Yay! I have my Fitbit to thank for getting me to move more (making me more conscious of how much I’m moving, at the very least!) Cheers! MJ
I got to experience something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time: woke up, and the first thing I put on was my bathing suit. Went downstairs and dove into the 80 degree pool before I did anything else. So lovely to be visiting relatives with a pool!
delicious! MJ
Sometimes I listen to my inner lizard especially when he says, “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!”
that might be worth listening to Kate! 🙂 MJ
Today, planned to go to the state park for a hike, but departure time delayed, then clouds rolled in, so I went to the botanical garden, instead.
either way, sounds lovely 😀 MJ
Oh, that was fun: reading about your walk to the dentist!
Well, you know by now that Motor Man changes up my life almost daily. One morning, he said: “Let’s go to Bojangles for breakfast” (it’s about 5 miles from home). We ended up at the Outer Banks (2 hours from home) before we came home late that night. He’s taught me to be ready for anything!
Have a great weekend, MJ!
My inner lizard can be quite a control freak – sometimes I just have to walk all over her and she finally hushes down.
Your MM is Mr. Adventure; glad you have learned to lean into it and enjoy 🙂 MJ
Hey, sounds like a nice walk! I did that today with a friend. It was a beautiful day in SE Alaska, and walking is one of the best ways to see this small community! Good for you for not giving up and driving it! ~ Sheila
It was the perfect morning for a walk and the perfect distance to do it in 🙂 Plus the neighborhood is safe and I felt comfy doing so – Have a great day, Sheila! MJ
It’s such a great time of year to be outside. What a great idea to combine a walk with the demands of your schedule. I’m glad you didn’t let the inner lizard change your mind.
I agree and it was the perfect day – cool, sunny and no humidity –those days don’t happen often in the Great Lakes State 🙂 The inner lizard has been kicked to the curb on a regular basis LOL! MJ