One of the things I know about myself is that getting outdoors, out in the air and under the wide sky, and feeling the ground under my feet, that this is good for my soul. It keeps me grounded and restores me. My wife Tracey and I went out for a walk yesterday morning. It was a bright and chilly day, and my hands and face were cold at the start. But you know what happens as you move—your body warms up from the inside. It’s good for you. I am so grateful to be able to walk, because it is so good for my soul.
Soren Kierkegaard said this about walking: “Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself int my best thoughts, and I know of not thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. But by sitting still, and the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Thus if one just weeks on walking, everything will be all right.”
I also benefit from being still and silent, but there is something about walking. And what if you can’t walk? If you body doesn’t allow that? Are there other ways to move that are freeing and restorative? Or is movement necessary? Can you open yourself by mindful breathing, or by stretching your limbs, or getting a massage?
Yesterday afternoon I started raking out places around our yard where the leaves have collected over the winter. Some spots have been warmed by the sun, and in others, in the shade, the ground was still mostly frozen. But the strengthening light says it plain: Spring is coming. All of a sudden, raking out a flower bed, a spot of color stopped me short. It was a single crocus, coming up out of the cold ground. I had to take a picture, because this was such a sign of hope for me in these days, when there is so much bad news, and so much we could be discouraged about.
Have hope, friends, and hold fast to your faith. We need it these days. And keep in touch.