If we LET ourselves do this MORE...

March 4th, 2026 is/was a BEAUTIFUL day; sunny and, in my opinion, the first "official" melt of the season. Perfect opportunity for an afternoon walk. And walk I did. It was such a "breath of fresh air" (pun intended). 😉

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is excited for that "spring feeling" and freshness in the air. The sights and sounds of the world around us opening up again is invigorating. Today was one of those "spring" feeling days where I HAD to be sure I took advantage of Mother Nature's smile.

On top of that, things are just "heavy" aren't they? I'm sure many can relate. Not "bad". "Heavy". Like there's always something weighing you down / holding you back, despite good things happening. I wanted a RELEASE feeling. I didn't want to feel "more load", I wanted to lift some weight off the shoulders, ya know? With that, today's walk had two targets in mind before I even left the house:

1) Just go walk. No speed or distance planned.

2) Take it in. Be present. Enjoy the weather and my surroundings.

No music. No podcast. No headphones. Phone on silent.

It felt SO GOOD. It made me think;

Imagine if we LET ourselves do this MORE?? "This" being something that makes us TRULY FEEL GOOD, disconnecting from "busy-ness" and re-connecting with ourselves and nature.

I've had some conversations in recent weeks that feed this thought as well. "WHAT ARE WE DOING?" is a question I often ask myself. For me, I practice healthy habits to enjoy a QUALITY of life and to OPEN opportunities of experiences for myself, not only in doing things but opportunities to learn MORE about what MY PHYSIOLOGY needs in this ONE shot at life. To sum it up; It's "the long game". The marathon that is life. There's no rush. There's no "pressure". "Simple and easy over the long haul" as Dan John says. If you're training for an event or sport, different story. There's a time constraint. There's peformance aspects that need to be met. It's a different approach and mindset because certain things are non-negotiable in training.

Training for longevity and a healthy lifestyle has non-negotiables too, but they're MUCH broader and open. For example, we ALL need to MOVE our bodies to be healthy. That's non-negotiable. But HOW is a blank canvas for us.

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On my walk, to prepare for thoughts to jump around in my mind, I pre-planned bringing my little field notes notebook and a pen in my pocket. No phone remember. Even for writing thoughts and/or ideas that I want to expand on later. I came to my favourite spot on my walk/run routine, where you're surrounded by fields and plenty of quiet, with the odd exception of birds or the cows nearby. It's so peaceful.

Find them (and various covers) on Amazon.ca

I stood there for a minute or two, jotting down a few thoughts to carry with me. Even slowly sauntering as I wrote at times. Will I need them later? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm sharing a few here for sure. Some may end up in a journal, poem or writing. Others may just sit in my little notebook on a random page. In EVERY CASE - It's ALL GOOD. There's no right or wrong.

One thought that popped into my head was one I 100% would have missed had I been listening to a podcast or music. I heard a little black-capped chickadee singing nearby. I've come to find their sounds soothing for me. It makes me smile. Whenever I hear them, I immediately think of three things:

1) A calm / peacefulness that brings a smile and/or breathe of fresh air

2) "Cheeseburger". No, not a craving for a cheeseburger. Listen to their song. It sounds like they're saying "Cheese-Burger". Ever since my daughter Jade pointed that out a handful of years ago, I can't NOT hear it. Because of this... 👇

3) I always think of, Jade. My "Monster". My mind subconciously thinks of her whenever the little guys are singing about "cheeseburgers". 🥰 Seriously. You can't NOT feel good when you hear them sing in this case.

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Back around to the point of sharing this post; Imagine if we LET OURSELVES do these sorts of things MORE in our daily routines...

MORE of what feels good.

MORE of what makes us smile.

MORE of what brings a sense of CALM and PEACEFULNESS.

MORE time in the PRESENT MOMENT.

MORE time EXPERIENCING LIFE in whatever way it presents itself right NOW.

DAMN we'd be feeling SO MUCH BETTER wouldn't we?? Just reading that makes me smile. WHY DON'T WE LET OURSELVES FEEL THIS MORE?? We'd have a pretty healthy and vibrant society of people if we did, let me tell ya!

With that I'll end with another question; After reading these thoughts...

Why not LET yourself FEEL and EXPERIENCE MORE of this, as YOUR norm???