Off The Beaten Path...

I do not have to be at work until 2pm today (thanks to a significant hour cut this week – YIKES!), so I thought I would switch it up a bit for my walk today. I headed out to Laumeier Sculpture Park, one of my favorite places on Earth. I love this park. It is basically an open-air museum for many contemporary sculptures. The art pieces blend into the environment and change as the seasons change. One of the reasons why I enjoy this park so much is because it is constantly evolving. New pieces are coming in, old favorites are being updated… there is something different every time I go there. It is a perfect blend of my two loves: inspiring outdoors space and art. And since the weather was cooperating (52 degrees and sunny), today was the day to go!

This morning my walk was all about taking it easy. I wanted to just fill my head with music and let my thoughts wander as I roamed through the wooded trails with no particular destination in mind. I walked at an easy pace, making sure I took full advantage of the sights and sounds of the forest. I was all alone on the trail. The wind was blowing through the trees, causing the leaves to float down around me like confetti. There was no sound of traffic or modern civilization whatsoever. There was just peace and quiet. I find that taking the time to get back to simplicity truly is essential to my personal well-being. Today I was not thinking about my (over-abundance of) bills, work stressors, or the frustrations in my love life. I was content just to be quiet with myself. Although I was not sitting on the ground with my eyes closed and my legs twisted like a pretzel, I would consider this kind of walking to be my meditation. It was fantastic and I feel lovely. I cannot wait to do it again.

I was purposely not concentrating on how long I was walking or how many steps I was taking, but at the end of it I was surprised to see that I had taken about 6,983 steps or 3.2 miles. It was a good workout (without feeling like one!!) because the up and down of the unpaved trails offered me some resistance to fight and also raised my heart rate quite significantly at times. It was like unintentional interval training.

I will do a more traditional walk around the neighborhood tonight once I get home from work.

Have a great walking day!!!