November ’16.
Autumn reading; Vitamin Nature; Slowing down; domestic exploration; and lots of hiking + walking ::
Learning (How) to Walk
- At November 25, 2016
- By Morgan Reid
- In Bodywork, Slowing Focus
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I’ve talked before about hoping to up my walking and go slower —- but that was written while trying to sell a house.
We did sell, and with new values in mind we were able to rent a place near walking trails.
I got pregnant a week after we sold the house and my 1st trimester was really exhausting – probably the progesterone I was taking. However, 2nd trimester I’ve been able to up my miles quite a bit. Not yet to the 5 miles a day suggested for a VBAC, but most days 3 comes rather easily. So far I’ve been going to bed with Autumn and then waking up just before sunrise so I can walk the hour before Nate starts working. It’s stroller-free and I get to listen to Podcasts : ) Then I take Autumn out later in the day and try to get her to walk some with me. That – as expected – is a hit or miss endeavor so I think I’m going to have to abandon a few principles and just start bringing the stroller and encouraging her to walk periodically. Here’s to hope.
But to say that I’m just walking wouldn’t be true. Actually, there’s a *lot* happening as I’m training myself to walk correctly. Following the guidelines of Katy Bowman at Nutritious Movement and her book, Move Your DNA, I’ve packed the following into the phrase “I’m working on my walking”:
{Art cred: Nathan with some charcoal. If you’ve read The Little Prince, can you spot the sheep?}
Looking for Focus
- At March 30, 2016
- By Morgan Reid
- In Slowing Focus
- 0
I’m experiencing quite a bit of difficulty with something that didn’t used to be a problem: while I enjoy “doing” things, I really don’t enjoy just “being.” The problem is, “being” jives a lot better with motherhood than “doing.”
It’s probably healthier to enjoy, meander, and observe, but I’d rather learn, produce, and accomplish. There’s a satisfying rush that comes with “finishing” (“I made/did this!”) and having something to show for my time makes me feel better about myself, and how people see me.
If only there weren’t always so much more to be “doing” or I didn’t feel the pressure to learn a lot about a lot of things *right now*. It’s like I feel really behind and there’s an urgency to acquire this or that skill, implement that practice, expound on that thought, and create that thing.
Contrasting this with simply enjoying “being”, and I might find satisfaction in walking, instead of reaching the end of the walk, or in putting a line through “take a 3 mile walk.” That would be so great, because honestly, unless I’m engaged in conversation, I hate the “walk” part – But I want to find satisfaction in walking and not care so much about getting to the destination (even with a toddler).
This recent pull to transition from “doing” to “being” has me kind of stumped. *But how?! How do I do that? How do I manufacture feelings and completely shift my mindset? Argh!*
Then I remembered a book I read a couple years ago that might really help me now that I’m ready to change lanes and slow down. While, I read through it pretty quickly and it resonated very much with my “small world” heart (I’m very home-oriented and domestic in nature), I so was fixated on what my other mom friends were doing and able to accomplish during this season, that I wasn’t ready to take a backseat to all the “fun”. 2 years later, I’m tired and worn out and would like to try implementing his ideas and blogging about the experience as a way to keep me on track and document the journey.
It’s called Living into Focus by Arthur Boers and if I remember correctly, his first “focus practice” was to go on a walk. : )
Morgan (loves to) Reid
