Keep Walking

I went on some walks this weekend in our neighborhood. It’s always the same 2 mile route, but it dawned on me today that while the walk is the same, what’s been on my mind during these walks has changed over the years.

In our fourteen years in this house, we lost loved ones, we lost a pet, we endured Covid, overcome illnesses and surgeries, and we’ve worried about family members going through the same. Beautiful things have happened too. I wrote a book, changed jobs, and we’ve welcomed two cats, bringing our total to four, haha.

But there have been so many times on these walks when I’ve not known what to do. What hard decision to make at work-how to best support someone close to me who was struggling-how to find my balance when the world felt chaotic…

Yet through all the ups and downs, one thing has stayed the same. I’ve kept walking.

I think there is a metaphor here. Forward is forward. Movement is movement. Even when we aren’t sure what to do exactly, we try. And we keep on trying. We try because time will pass anyway, so we may as well try.

In Legacy of Learning, I share my definition of happiness which is inspired by a J. B. Yeats quote, “And happiness…what is it? I say it is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing or that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.”

It’s true. While growth can be very painful and can reveal difficult truths about ourselves, there is a deep satisfaction that comes from seeing ourselves and others make progress. Growth reminds us that our behavior matters. When we see our behavior as mattering and being impactful, it’s a nice reminder of how much WE matter.

Don’t forget that growth can be slow. It can be painfully slow at times and non-linear. Some of the most important growth we can make is within ourselves. It’s not the kind people see in before and after transformation photos. It’s not the kind that is measured in numbers.

No, real, internal, long-lasting growth is deeply satisfying but slow and quiet. There is no applause. There are no likes or retweets. Rarely are there compliments or celebrations, but there are signs.

Train your mind to see not only the good in others and the growth in others but the growth in yourself. Notice how you pause now when you can feel something triggers you. Notice how you let something go that used to stick to you and consume your mind after the work day. Simply notice.

You’re growing. You deserve to know it. You deserve the deep satisfaction and dare I say happiness from internalizing it.

And you know why you’re growing? Because you keep walking. You keep walking through this hard, beautiful life and these days, that takes fortitude, guts, and sheer determination.

As Rumi says, “We are all just walking each other home.”

So if no one has told you, I’m proud of you. But what’s more important is that YOU are proud of you.

Be proud. And keep walking.