Word for the day: Petrichor
Color for the day: Misty gray
I am sure it seems like everyone all over the internet is telling you to go out and take a walk. Seriously, though, if you can, it will be amazing for your whole being. Your body will grow healthier, your mind will decompress a bit, and your spirit will be lifted. Living out of town, I can’t go to a track or a gym, (and right now, probably no one should,) but I can walk around my homestead, and that works too. I know each and every one of us faces one kind of challenge or another that makes it seem difficult to get out and walk every day–and let’s be real, I can’t do it every day like i should–for me, it’s my feet. Some days, it’s fine, others–not so much.
Those moments spent walking, like any other repetitive task can be meditative, if we let them. Let the mind wander a bit, and then reign it back in to the idea you’re thinking on for your project. I like to go out even on days that are less than ideal, so I can experience that weather fully. If you’ve never splashed in a mud puddle, you need this more than I can emphasize. It feels weird and silly, but your inner child will be so happy. Take advantage of all the different types of weather and temperature, as well as different times of the day.
I hear you saying, “but schedules are important!”
Oh, yes. But I hope you are scheduling yourself breaks. It is also super important to strike a balance. Maybe go before you start work one day, at your lunch break on another, and after work another day. However it works for you is what’s best. The important thing is the variety. If you can walk in different places, that’s great. If not, the variety of season, weather, and time of day will help keep you from getting bored.
One of my favorite times to be outside is just before a storm, when the air is heavy and electrified, loaded with negative ions, and then the wind picks up, and the first drops of rain hit the ground. Hence today’s word, petrichor. That’s the smell you get when the rain and dry earth meet, and it’s especially powerful after an extended dry spell, like at the end of summer. It’s the beginning of spring here, but the rain always makes me nostalgic (and just a little sleepy, if I’m honest.)
Weather has such a profound effect on our being, so why not get the full experience? Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend going out in dangerous weather (looking at you, fellow Oklahomans,) but in anything you can tolerate at least for a little while. If nothing else, the experience will make you appreciate being home, but what if it inspired you? What if your next big project gets a boost from something you experience out there?
For me, it is worth any momentary discomfort, and sometimes it can inspire a whole book, as in the case of my book titled Weathered: A Collection of Atmospheric Tales and Poems. As soon as I get book three of The Nova Wave series done, I intend to begin a new collection. Perhaps it will be Weathered II.
Thank you so much for joining me,
Until next time,
Be well.
~D~
