Every day, at least once a day, my dog Luna + I, walk the same path near our home.
At first glance, it really doesn’t seem like anything special. For a stretch of it, you have to walk next to a busy road. The neighborhoods are not “uniquely charming”. There are no diverse home gardens or intriguing art fixtures on the lawns. There are no sweeping landscape views or overlooks. Occasionally there is city trash or something rotten I have to veer away from.
You might be wondering, why do I choose to walk this path? Why not another one? And why walk it every day?
Well, the first part is (somewhat) obvious: as a creature of habit, whose nervous system craves predictability, this path checks all the necessary “boxes”. It’s the perfect length of time (not too short, not too long), it’s mostly quiet, there are pockets of nature to fall into, not too much foot traffic. After moving to this home, my logical subconscious mind honed in on this route as: “good enough for exactly what I need in my daily life”. I can step out of my front door and not think about where I’m going or how much time I have or what route should I take today for XYZ reasons. I can just go. Without thought or concern. And most importantly, without my phone.
If this sounds boring to you, stick with me, I’ve got a good point here I promise.
My creative mind judged my logical mind HARD for turning on autopilot and consciously deciding this was “our new home route” that we would walk daily.
A big part of me loves to wander as I walk. To let my senses and intuition guide me to new places (especially in nature) and see what I discover along the way. Every walk containing something new to explore that is presently unknown when you first step foot outside.
But my nervous system loved the predictability and consistency of my daily route. And while my creative “wandering” walks fill my soul in different ways, on days that I have to work or schedule obligations, I find myself more frequently “checking in” with my logical mind along the way if I choose to walk a new route with unfamiliar surroundings.
Without consciously deciding, I find myself walking this same path every day now (while leaving room for my wandering meanders to explore new areas from time to time). But consistently, without fail, Luna + I walk our daily path.
And the more we walk it, this imperfect “good enough” path, the more I recognize the beauty in it.
When you walk the same path every day, through the seasons of the year and the seasons of your life, you build a relationship with the environment.
You begin to notice different things every day. You’re able to notice subtle changes that if you only walked the path once or twice in a blue moon, you would not be able to discern.
I find myself “checking in” on certain trees and plants I’ve taken a liking to now. Tracking their bloom cycles. Celebrating new leaf growth in Spring. Noticing when a flower falls directly before my feet and receiving it like a gracious blessing on my path.
I notice when I see new insects and animals. When unexpected visitors happen to cross my path one day. I notice when I see the snake skin shed and left behind. I notice a rustle in the bushes when I walk by. I notice new songs chirping from the treetops.
Since nature is a great source of inspiration for me, I gravitate towards nurturing these relationships, but I also notice the imaginary relationships I’ve created with the houses I walk by. Relating to the neighbors who haven’t mustered up the effort to take down their Christmas lights yet as we round the corner toward July. Pausing to savor the sound of my favorite wind chimes in front of one neighbor's house…making sure to linger longer on a windy day. Observing the house with old, paint-chipped patio furniture and wondering how many moves (and storms) they’ve weathered. Wondering what their stories are.
I notice when the mulch is delivered. When the pest maintenance vehicle rolls up. When the mail is delivered. When new construction begins to take place and when it ends.
And it’s not that I’m trying to notice or be a “nosey” neighbor. In fact, I have no real care or concern about what these neighbors are actually up to in their daily lives (since I don’t know any of them on this path personally).
What resonates with me is the peace I feel in witnessing change over time while maintaining a constant predictable path.
The peace in witnessing the normalcy of change in everyday life that happens to begin right outside of my door.
When you’re used to living in chaos, a peaceful world can feel boring at first.
And for me, this daily path certainly did.
Until my creative side reconciled with my logical side. Until I realized that creativity does not always have to be born out of chaos. That it can exist and be inspired anywhere, even on the same daily predictable route. That nourishing and attending to what feels good in my nervous system is more important than constantly pushing myself to “go on the grand adventure”.
That there is another grand adventure to be experienced in finding beauty in the mundane. And that walking the same path every day can take you there.