Walking In Gratitude

I thrive in routine. I could keep the same schedule, eat the same food, and do the same things every day for months at a time and be perfectly happy. Even though I love traveling, the trips to and from upset my routine. I feel unsettled, don’t sleep well, and then I get grumpy. 

After being in Hawaii for six weeks, my husband and I flew back to our home in California, and, per usual, I was having a hard time transitioning. I was feeling heavy in my spirit, hadn’t slept well in a few days, and I was a bit anxious. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to be back with family and friends, but my heart was longing for the peace I always find in Kona.

For the first few days I didn’t do much except unpack, run errands, go through mail, water plants, and do all the other things you do when your house has been vacant for a while. By day three, my body was aching to walk.  I could feel my muscles tightening up and I needed to get back into my exercise routine, so, the next morning I got up early, drank my coffee, chugged down some water, put my tennis shoes on, and headed out the door.

Full disclosure here – I was in a bad mood.  I was tired. Cold. Irritable. The sound of cars driving by was distracting. My headphones kept turning off for no apparent reason and I was getting more and more frustrated. I just wanted to get my walk over with.  I wasn’t paying attention to anything going on around me, I was too busy being miserable in my own little world.

By the second mile, I could feel my body responding to the movement and fresh air. I was warming up. I felt lighter. Better. And then I checked myself. I have so many reasons to be grateful and yet, I was acting like a jerk. I took a deep breath and made a conscious decision to change my attitude. As soon as my mood shifted, I sent up a prayer thanking Jesus for giving me another day.

The last two miles of my walk were a completely different experience...

The bare trees looked delicate and quite lovely. Their limbs twisting up towards the sky as if reaching for the sun. I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the sun, too. It was warm and comforting.

I noticed two young women walking together. They were sipping coffee and busy chatting about something that seemed important. I watched them interact and wondered if they were sisters or friends.

Looking down at the pavement I saw dozens of hearts someone drew with chalk. They were all different colors, shapes, and sizes. What a cool idea!

I watched as two older gentlemen with three dogs headed in my direction, taking up almost the entire path as they walked. The big dog trotted ahead, constantly pulling on his leash, while the two smaller dogs with gray in their whiskers, were happily riding along in a little red wagon.  They looked quite content snuggled up together in their blankets. One of the little dogs had only one eye, and it looked like the other one may have been missing a leg. I stopped and stepped aside making room for them to pass. I smiled, and they smiled back “Good morning, young lady, beautiful day isn’t it?”, I quickly took out my ear buds so I could respond “Good morning, yes! Yes it is!” Surprising myself by the cheerfulness in my voice and the smile that I could feel from the inside out. The man pulling the two dogs in the wagon tipped his hat at me “Indeed it is!” and they continued walking along. Indeed it is, I whispered as I watched them disappear down the path. Those two men and three dogs were the sweetest display of kindness I have seen in quite some time. Such love!

I’d really like to say that the next time we travel I won’t be grumpy and go through all that nonsense, but I won’t say that because chances are I will. But what I will say is that I am determined to be loudly grateful for every day. If cars are blaring down the road, I’ll just make sure to stay out of their way.  If it’s cold outside, I’ll wear more layers. And if my headphones break, I will gladly listen to the birds singing instead. And even when I’m tired and weary from traveling, I will praise God for each opportunity I have to see the world in all its wonder, to breath freely, love others, and walk among friends.