Meandering …

…which is what I was doing while walking this morning. My feet trod familiar paths but my thoughts were on another trail altogether.

They often wander off track, down shady lanes and contemplative pathways to unexpected destinations. It’s where I do my most interesting thinking. And, gentle reader, apparently where I ‘pocket post’ in mental absentia.

A blogging friend had me pondering on the power of walking; how it evokes reflection and creativity. You might like to visit Rachel’s thought provoking blog Write into Life.

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking. 

Friedrich Nietzsche

I try to walk most mornings, for the exercise and the positive effect it has on my mood, but also for ideas for my garden and blog. And the ideas are out there in blooming abundance if you look through the right eyes. Not that the area I live in is particularly  well landscaped. Some of the ‘gardens’ are downright scruffy and underwhelming. On the other hand, others are testament to their caretakers’ ingenuity and passion.

Gardening by the sea can be challenging,  especially when the salty wind is a factor. While my courtyard is protected, the walking trails I take meander along the exposed river reaches or beachfront. Parkland plantings have been thoughtful though, with lots of natives well suited to the sometimes harsh environment.

I have to make a concerted effort to walk mindfully, noticing the novel detail of my surroundings, not retreating totally into my thoughts. But thought associations masked as metaphors often waylay me on the path and I need to duck behind a tree sometimes and wait until they pass. Whew!

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m open to all comers but I prefer to savour them less as a barrage and more so just one at a time.

Have you noticed that the most appealing paths are the winding ones that meander hither and yon, concealing beguiling possibilities that might lay just around the next bend, inviting exploration? I’m talking about creative thinking now. Some call it ‘free-thinking’ but all my thinking is free. I’m a brazen hussy when it comes to sharing my thoughts. One never knows when an idea may jump out of nowhere and ambush me on a thought trail. Sometimes they are hostile or oblique, the ‘stick em up’ type, and I must wrestle them into submission to give up their goods. They should be afraid, I’ve done karate you know.

Most times they prod me politely until inspiration rises and my day blossoms.

 

Our life is what our thoughts make it.

Marcus Aurelius