Worthiness Wednesday #20 Walk it out

I've been pondering, over the past few days, what to write for this week's Worthiness Wednesday post. To be honest, I woke up this morning and thought, "I got nada."

But I knew that I'd be walking my little 'un to and from her creative play session around the corner and that something would come to me. That usually happens on a walk. Remember that wonderful illustration that Summer Pierre did about walking with a question and letting the answer come? I am totally with her on that one.

Then I saw this sign. The Presbyterian Church on the corner always has fantastic, and often funny, signs. (My favourite was the one that said, "Don't let Christians put you off Jesus.") The signs are changed regularly and it was the first time I saw this one.

It spoke to me.

I agree: we never walk alone. We have our questions. We have our doubts. We have our fears. We have our joy. We have butterflies in our tummies and hope in our hearts. We have our curiosity.

Today as I walked home, I saw the sign. I kept walking. I noticed my hurried pace, eager to get home and start writing, anxious not to "waste" any of the precious short time I have to myself. I slowed down a little. I noticed the damp cool air. I noticed some tiny yellow flowers "pop" against a pale lilac fence. I noticed a certain disc in my lower back niggling for my attention. I noticed an elderly couple walking slowly but purposefully (past the sign pictured above, in fact) holding hands. I noticed errant ferns sprouting out of rooftops.

I noticed that the walk was the question. But it was also the answer.

When we were in Paris, walking was a big part of our experience and I think it was one of the main contributors to the ease that we felt. We were out and about in the fresh air (often in the rain!) practically all day. We kept moving, albeit at a leisurely pace, usually with a destination in mind but not always with a fixed route.

I think all this movement helped certain knots -- physical and emotional - to unravel. As Andrea Scher put it so beautifully recently, "I've been up in my head for too long and bringing things back into my body has been the greatest gift I've given myself in a long time."

This week, I invite you to walk as often as you can but most especially when you feel stuck. Perhaps try some of the prompts on Summer Pierre's Walking Life illustration, if you feel you need some inspiration or parameters. See what happens when you loosen your muscles, breathe the air deeply, and open your eyes to the (extra)ordinary beauty that is embedded in tiny hiding spots on well-worn paths, patiently waiting to be noticed.

It's Winter here in Melbourne, so the natural inclination is to burrow in and stay home where it's cosy. I know that in the midst of a relentless hot Summer I am also less inclined to venture out into the glare. Whatever season you find yourself in, I invite you to announce your walk as something a little more special by wearing an accessory that will help shield you from the elements but also be your superhero talisman on your journey. Perhaps it's a purple felt hat that somehow seems too dressy for everyday. Or a widebrimmed straw number that is too Hollywood for the supermarket. Or tying your hair back in pigtails so that it's out of your eyes, even though you fear that it's not something someone your age/weight/maturity/appearance/whatever should be doing. Or a handmade scarf. Or outrageous sunglasses.

It's your walk, they are your questions, there may even be fun to be had.

You are worthy of answers and walking will bring you closer to the truth that you seek. You are never alone: you take your deepest wisdom with you. Get out of your head and into the world and you will see that you have all the answers you need.