Your Peaceful Journey

Are you a hiker? Our immediate family doesn’t hike, although we did walk around the block a few times last year. Earlier this week I heard comments that prove we’re not hiker-types. One child stated how hiking generally lacked a competitive element and our other child didn’t see the point because there’s no score. Sure, you could add a point system and race to the top of a mountain, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

Does the fresh air, the challenging terrain, and wildlife motivate you to tackle the trails? If I were to hike, I’d do it for the incredible views. Have a look:

                                                        https://youtu.be/fHCemviY06Y   
Wake up! I'm sure the sights and sounds sent you into doze mode. Wouldn’t you want to explore this area? Lace up a pair of hiking boots and trek through the wilderness to experience  this gorgeous scenery in New Zealand. We’re so busy multi-teching (my word for multi-tasking with technology), and rushing in a dozen different directions that we forget how to appreciate the “minor” moments. If hiking doesn't bring you peace, what activity does?

Modified and reposted from March 2014   

Grabbing Your Peace

Young people enjoy constant movement and entertainment—in short—non-stop fun. As a child, Sundays shut down my neighborhood. Occasionally, an adult crept from their front door into their car, but the kids stayed hidden, and the streets empty. During the winter, you might have heard melting snow. Silence ruled the day. Bored and restless, it was my most least favorite day of the week. 


Flash forward several decades and I’m loving my Sundays. I enjoy the pausing, the exhaling, and the napping, and group naps add to the fun. Picture several family members watching TV as the cat nestles nearby. Before long, everyone’s snoozing while the world’s cares drift away. And that’s the thing. Sunday’s a time for relaxing and casting aside worries. We’d be wise to do it before this happens: 

                                         https://youtu.be/FkiDh3tgaSk                          

 We often go-go-go when we’re made to go-sleep-repeat. We’re not designed to constantly push through fatigue, and ignoring our natural make-up results in illness, not peace. Along with napping, how else would you spend a restful Sunday?      

Waiting on Something

We love fast food drive-thru windows except when they're inconvenient. This week, I debated about where I’d get the fastest service—in the drive-thru line or inside the restaurant. I instantly regretted choosing the left lane drive-thru because I could see the driver in the side view mirror chattering away at the order board. I choose the wrong lane, again. Lip-reading wasn’t helpful in deciding whether the driver was ordering a boatload of food, asking too many menu questions, discussing some inappropriate drive-thru topic or doing this:

                                         https://youtu.be/DgaN2C_mfH8

Despite the lengthy request for a short order, the service people remained professional—and they remembered everything. Maybe this special order felt like a bright spot in the middle of a long, boring shift. Some things are worth the wait. What behavior used to feel like a time-waster, but now you recognize the benefit?