β€œNana, let’s go for a walk!” Ian was tired of being penned up inside while his older brother worked in our yard.

β€œOf course!” I tell him. Squirrels scamper, cardinals cheer. Even though the sky is misty gray, the earth looks and sounds alive.

 

 

Eleven year olds don’t usually walk the chalk line. They like to meander down a sidewalk or pathway, often walking crooked.

 

 

Walking, Crooked or Straight

Julia Cameron, author of more than forty books, extols the virtues of walking in one of her books on creativity, Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance

 

 

 

Tips to Carry from her Book

  1. “Walking starts the writing engine humming . . . Without shame or scolding, walking puts a gentle end to self-involvement. Almost without noticing it, we become engaged with a world larger than ourselves and our concerns.”

 

  1. “Walking is a problem-solving tool. A footfall at a time, problems are solved by walking. St. Augustine referred to solving problems by walking as ‘Solvitur ambulando.’”

 

  1. β€œWalking has a way of drawing pain to scale. Walking has made [my] dreams feel” more real.

 

  1. It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy, quoting Mother Teresa.

 

 

 

Believing Mirrors – Do You Shine?

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  • β€œBelieving mirrors” are optimistic, caring believers in the essential goodness of life. . . . They reflect back to you your competency and potential. They are on your side and bring to your discussions a sense of optimism and hope.”

 

  • β€œA good friend can be like a radar dish —Β suddenly we are scooping all sorts of signals where before there were none.”

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  • β€œThey can be softhearted but also hardheaded . . . rough-minded without being nasty. They must β€œhave a clean, clear surface that allows them to mirror back without distortion what they are asked to reflect upon.” They need not be writers, but they must have your best interests at heart.

 

As water reflects the face, so one’s face, so one’s life reflects the heart.Β  ~ Prov. 27:19Β  NIV

 

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The Bright Side View, more quotes from CameronΒ 

  • Give yourself credit! β€œFocused on what we ‘should’ do and what we haven’t done yet, we often turn a blind eye to our own ongoing accomplishments. It is a rare day that passes without our having done something right.”
  • Focus on the DONE pile as much as the NOT Done Pile!
  • β€œIt takes vigilance to keep from gilding the past. EachΒ day I must find something to love in the day at hand.”

 

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Lesson from the Funicular Railway

Funicular Rail, Salzburg Austria 2006

 

 

The climb from ground level to mountaintop is

STEEP

SLOW

But it eventually gets there!

 

(Coming next: Confession of a Cone Head)

 

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Do you like walking?

What tips can you add to Julia Cameron’s list?

Do you believe with Mother Theresa that “It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy”?Β 

Do you have a believing mirror?