Walk with the Wind

Work has been stressing me out.

Every morning I start the day with a long to-do list, and every evening I leave with an even longer to-do list for the next day. Between answering client emails, training new hires, management and product development meetings, and doing my actual client work- I feel like my workload is unending. Most days I wake-up anxious, and leave the day feeling irritable and drained. Today was no exception.

I needed an escape.

With everything going on with work and my business, I haven’t been taking a lot of time to unwind. I used to go on a walk or run every day, and long hikes every weekend, but lately I haven’t allowed myself the time. Though I know it makes me feel better, I’ve been too tired to stir from my comfortable couch after a long day. But today, the wind stirring the plants by window seemed to bid me to come outside.

So, I took a walk.

It wasn’t a particularly luxurious walk. I didn’t go out to the woods or even to a park to emerge myself in nature, but the little tour of my neighborhood made a world of difference in my mood. The day was overcast and cool. A few children played outside in their yards or on the sidewalk, creating a cheerful ambiance with their laughter. I took out my phone, put in my earbuds, and played an Autumn Playlist. My hair whipped around in the breeze, music filled my ears, and blood started pumping through my body. The same wind that invited me outside and lifted my hair, seemed to carry my troubles out toward the lake. By the time I finished my first mile, I was smiling again.

I’ve always loved the wind.

Autumn is my favorite season, walks are one of my favorite activities, and wind is my favorite weather. While I do love a good rain storm, I find that the rain is nothing without the howling wind. A long walk will help me relax in almost any weather, but a strong wind will take me from upset to happy much faster than exercise alone. The air currents blow away the negativity from my mind, and brings a sense of emotional clarity and elation. Feeling the wind on my face, in my hair, and pushing against my body is invigorating. Hearing it howling in the chimney or rushing cross the earth fills me with anticipation. Watching the wind rattle the trees and stir up the leaves and dust from the ground is memorizing. Though we cannot see the air around us, it’s powerful and strong. It can be gentle as a whisper, or destructive as an earthquake. Something so easily overlooked, but important, invisible- yet omnipresent- it’s like emotion, thought, life itself.

I will always strive to walk with the wind.