Morning routines may be important and at times hectic. However, something even more important should happen if time permits. A Sun Stroll. First thing in the morning, after kids go to school or before you go to work, go for a walk. Walk clear uninterrupted with no device. No music?! Yes. No music.
Motherhood can be stressful. General life is stressful. I used to go for walks with headphones in my ears attempting to escape temporarily with no success. Raising my headphones as high as possible worked for a moment to drown out the noise of my nonstop chattering kids. Regrettably, the walk becomes a tango of pausing and unpausing music, yelling at wandering or slow walking kids, and feeling guilt. We go for walks for exercise, relaxation, and to be with nature. So why do we find ourselves feeling the need to connect electronically even when we don’t need to?
Think back on when you were a kid. Imagine yourself biking freely to no end, skipping rope to 100, discovering bugs and keeping them. Those were some of the best times right? So who says they have to end? Why does being an adult now mean you spend most of your time staring at a screen and only exercising to burn fat? We were made for more. We were made to experience more. Made to be with nature. More and more we isolate ourselves from the earth and focus on the tech around us.
Walking yesterday with my son I purposely ONLY brought my phone for pictures. I would place my phone into my stroller pocket and if I saw something beautiful I’d take a quick snap and put it back. No phone calls. No posting. No texting. Only connecting with nature. Listening to the morning birds singing so sweetly. Feeling the far out traffic in the distance like a low hum. A thought would come into my mind concerning the everlasting to do list of adulthood and I would pause. Pause myself in mid thought and listen to the sounds around me. Silence my mind. It’s so important to silence your mind whenever you can and just listen to the world around you. You can hear things you might not expect and it gives you this feeling of connectedness no device can do.
So, next time you’re on a walk try to silence you thoughts and let the world talk. Enjoy the your sun stroll and all that it brings.
