Skip to main content

Ode to Walking

I can’t control if I wake up with a headache,

but I can wiggle my toes and move my feet

I can’t control what politicians say or do,  but I can get off my couch, and put my shoes on

I can’t  control if my dog leaves a mess on the carpet-  but I can pick up my left leg

 I cannot control how I'm feeling - up, down, bored, excited..., but I can place one foot on the pavement

 

I can’t control whether it’s about to rain, but I can pull out my umbrella - and take another step

 

I can't control all the thoughts running through my head, but I can focus on the sensations in the bottom of my feet, and take another step

 

I can’t  control what people think of me, or say about me... but I can keep moving anyway 

 

I can’t control what’s past, or  what’s yet to come- but I can look around me, and take another step

 

Someday, I won't be able to move my legs, or my feet, or any part of my body...and I cannot control when that day may come.

 

But for today, for  this moment, I can take another step- and maybe one more after that - and that’s enough for today


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Exploration Day: Art from Within

                                                                                                                                                                        On Friday of this week, our entire school took a break from our normal schedule, and instituted a day of "exploration." Teachers were asked to prepare lessons outside of their normal curriculum, and we offered everything from mask-making  to "reading cafe," cooking, "Shrinky Dinks," one-act plays, thoughtful movie watching, and even a trip to the local police station (and much more). Although it was a ...
I recently published my first book on Amazon, "Advice for Every Hour." It's available in both ebook and paperback. It has many of the essays on this blog, as well as additional content. It chronicles my adventures applying mindfulness and other strategies in my life, and classroom. 

Playing Around

Photo by Matheo JBT on Unsplash In March I offered an e nso workshop for art teachers in my district. We had a great time that included discussion, mindful breathing,  lots of painting and generally making a mess of things. We talked about how enso painting fits into a Japanese aesthetic context, and how it is also relates to the "action painters" of abstract expressionism . Especially relevant is  the notion of   wabi-sabi ,  the embracing of change and imperfection.  We began the practice part of our workshop with some focused, mindful breathing, to help us become fully present. The silence was refreshing  after a very busy school day. I then demonstrated the traditional enso, where the artist completes a circle in  one focused movement. I also showed examples of ensos that I had done in other media, or combinations of media, to illustrate creative options for elaboration. After some practice on newsprint, my colleagues immediately began playing w...