So as I head off to bed on my last night in Minneapolis, I'm having a look back at my experiences so far and what I'm taking with me.
I've really been looking forward to this trip as an opportunity to let go of things that have really been weighing me down in the last 6-12 months. My midyear adventure I hope is really going to help me look at what I find important and how to go into life after year 12. So there will hopefully be a few blog posts that instead of recounting the day, I will use as a record (for those keeping updated and also for me to look back at) of how this incredible experience hopefully helps change my life.
Today's post comes as a reflection on walking. As someone who does very little exercise in any form, I've been noting the amount of walking that I've done this week and will continue to do for the weeks to come.
Honestly, I've never really been a fan of walking, I've found other ways to get places or managed to avoid the trip. But walking in such incredibly beautiful neighbourhoods and places I've never been has made me realise that just walking, even just to walk, can be incredibly rewarding. Yes, I then come home very tired, but it's satisfying to know that I went somewhere amazing without the sole purpose of practicality.
Walking places with someone is really what made me think of writing about the subject. I've noticed as we walk that it's not particularly difficult to fall into step with someone next to you, but also if you have slightly different walking paces it can become really difficult to stay in time.
With some of the difficulties I've encountered with maintaining friendships and connections with people I've once been really close with, thus reflection came as somewhat of a revelation. To me, I realised that yes (as cliche as it is) life really is a journey. For me at the the moment it's a journey on a footpath. Not matter where I walk, some people will join me, some will leave and others walking in completely the opposite direction. For those that walk beside me, we fall into step and it can last for a very long time, there are people who have walked in step with me my entire life. Then there are others who I only manage to fall into step with for a while, a year or so. Now I'm not amazing at realising when other people's path doesn't follow the same route as mine, I struggle to try and stay in time as they change they're pace to go somewhere else. But what I've realised in the past week is that I really need to see that as ok. Some people I can manage to take a little jumpskip and end up back in step with, but others I'll just end up spraining an ankle just trying to keep up.
This has been something that I haven't been able to grasp since I left college and I still think that I'll need a little help from people next to me to remember. But I'm getting there, I'm letting go and I'm starting to be ready to take the next fork in the road and end up with a healthier frame of mind.
It's a bit hard, cause my familiar pathetic is on the other side of the world, but each new step is a step closer to the change in my life that I really think I need after some difficult few months.
I'm growing, I'm grateful, and I'm so darn excited for the next step. And who knows, some walks give you excellent views.
Last night in Minneapolis.
Justine
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