I, on the other hand, am more inclined to dive right in and process as I go. I tend to jump into things with a bit of over-confidence and then rear up when I notice the road blocks, missteps or challenges. Example – when we first moved into our new home I painted with gusto for 2 weeks which resulted in tendinitis in my right wrist. Its taken a few re-injuries for me to really take notice of it, but I am finally beginning to take care and pay attention. As a kid, I remember my mom calling me a bit of a bull in a China shop. I’m sure she was right but I couldn’t even conceive of another way to be or how to do anything differently. Rather fascinating that my son should show up and be so completely different in this way, and such a wonderful teacher for his mama.
As I came to the end of my hike, I gleefully took in all kinds of fun new “noticings”. There was a delightful family of squirrels chirping high in the trees. I stopped to watch for a bit and they all seemed to dance weightlessly in the tip tops of the branches. And for the icing on the cake, as I pulled my bike off the rusty iron gate at the trail’s entrance, I happened upon the sign that clearly states the name of the trail as the Bristol Ledges Trail. Given the recent name change of this blog, I got a good belly laugh out of that one! I know it will take some patience and acceptance to make a habit out of becoming more aware, subtle, and present, but I’m already feeling its effect and loving it.