Taking the steps...

So first quick up date- the inner excavation class I'm doing is going great!  I'm enjoying journaling, taking pictures, and getting creative with how I am putting my work together.  I'm amazingly blessed with a wonderful life, great family and some really genuine Peeps in my life.  I'm finding that others don't have it so great.  Grateful for what I have and hoping some of the others involved in the inner excavation class find themselves and find that happiness, peace, or resolution so many of us seem to be looking for.

This week the theme for the class is "I seek" and is all about senses and recognizing at any given moment what is happening around you- you remember those five senses: hear, taste, smell, touch, see.  She add a sixth- know.  What do you "know" by those senses- what do they tell you, teach you, help you see. One of the activities is a type of meditation that you think about what you hear, see, taste, smell, see, touch and know.  You can do this meditation sitting in quiet/peace or do it as a walking meditation.

I took my walking meditation "6 senses" walk yesterday morning before work.  I did not wear any headphones and just tried to be present in my walk.  I saw: dew, birds, deer scat, flowers blooming, and bugs.  I heard: birds talking, singing and squabbling, dogs barking, my feet landing on the pavement, and bugs.  I smelled clean, morning air.  I touched my fingers together as I swung my arms, and the fly that kept buzzing around my head in one part of the trail (I touched it because I was swinging my arms around to helicopter this annoying fly away).  I didn't really taste anything but my morning dry mouth (brushed teeth plus no hydration- kind of dry), however when I walked by some hollyhocks I imagined if I was a bee the nectar from the flower would taste like "nectar of the gods".  What I know from this walk was the fly annoyed the crap out of me and I lost some of my presence when swinging my arms wildly to divert it away from my head.  What I also know is that it wasn't that bad walking in the morning and really taking in my surrounding minus listening to my Ipod.  It was relaxing. It was energizing. 

So the inner excavation continues and I'm eager to continue on.

Along with the inner excavate I'm doing a 7 day consistency challenge.  My action steps are walking or some physical activity 20 minutes every day along with having a smoothie for breakfast every morning.  So far I'm doing well.  I'm kind of coming to terms that walking may need to become my new best friend.  I went for follow-up doctor visit this past Monday and everything looks good, but my doctor is really heavily encouraging me not to head back down the running path.  He is concerned that I will just end up needing further knee surgery in the future.  So he wants me to continue to do PT, find other activities like walking, biking and swimming and hold off on running for 2 more months.  I was hoping to hear something different, but I've been reminding myself that 2 months ago I couldn't hardly walk down stairs without discomfort and a horribly odd gait.  So onward we go with walking and hopefully more activities to come with no knee swelling. 

I leave you with something I read today which is so true- sorry don't know who wrote/said it...
"Just like nutrition, the process isn't sexy, but showing up again and again and again (and again)- regardless of how you have to rig the process to make it happen- is what leads to fitness success over time".
Planning to keep it on my calendar/"to do" list to Show Up tomorrow and the days to come.