Moving Forward: Baby Steps

 All of life is movement: the life-giving blood pumping through our bodies, a river running, the planets rotating and revolving in our solar system. Motion and change bring life; inactivity and sameness bring stagnation and decay.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were walking in one of the parks near us, on a wooded path that borders a fast-moving creek. I was fascinated anew by the rushing water and small waterfalls spilling over rocks. There is such beauty and energy in running water; the sounds, the negative ions charging the air around it, the crystalline sight of it as it sparkles in the sun. I noticed one small area, where a tree had fallen over the winter, blocking the flow of water to create a motionless pool, and I thought about stagnant water. When there is no flow, bacteria and algae growth can create an unhealthy environment.

I guess it's the same way with us, whether we are talking about body, mind or spirit, flow is the key. It's the key to physical health, to ideas, to inspiration and to personal growth. Without flow, movement and change, we become stagnant; vulnerable to becoming ill or depressed.

Personally, although I cherish moments of stillness and reflection, I tend to be very much in motion every day. My morning begins with yoga and a walk (I'm a bit of a compulsive walker) and I stay pretty busy throughout the day.  Movement is a big part of my sense of well-being, so I sometimes wonder how I would survive if I became ill or incapacitated. I guess I would have one of those motorized wheelchairs and try to keep going!

In fact, moving forward is all we really can do.  Unfortunately, no one has invented a time machine yet (to my knowledge), so there are no do-overs.  Every day is a fresh start, as long as we don't sit and ruminate about things we cannot change. So, my advice today: keep moving, one step in front of the other (baby steps if need be), because, as Tom Petty would say: "If you don't run, you rust"!