Walk purposefully into each new day
“It’s a tight space. You have to maneuver it,” Hanlie said to me as I tripped on my way to the bathroom in her one bedroom Chicago apartment.
Earlier that morning, I told her about how I was overhauling my morning routine.
The opening "bookend" of my new routine?
👉 Standup slowly from bed and then walk purposefully, without stumbling.
It was my first day. I had already failed. Multiple times.
You see, I have a tendency to hustle myself without reason.
I launch myself up, and then feel off balance. Then I begin walking across the room before my feet are prepared and I end up toddling about like I am walking for the first time. I bump into things, cover myself in bruises, and FEEL CLUMSY.
My self-talk and self-image is negative.
Here's the narrative: I am big and blundering. I take up too much space. Geeze, I cannot even walk right. What is wrong with me?!
What a terrible way to start the day: immediately belittling myself.
Sound familiar?
On this particular morning (on the first day of my new routine!) I had already thrown myself out of bed and nearly tripped, dropped the hairdryer on my toe, and followed that up by catching my foot on the corner of Hanlie's scale as I fumbled my way into her bathroom.
As I moved my body to the kitchen, I was once again struck by Hanlie’s words.
“It’s a tight space. You have to maneuver it.”
What a metaphor for life.
It seems like we're always LAUNCHING ourselves, unsteadily, in some direction or down some path without much thought, preparation or purpose.
We act as if there is a wide, well-paved way for us to follow, but most of the time the road doesn't exist. Instead, we find partial pathways, detours, blocked roads and unexplored territory.
Life is a tight path for us to maneuver.
We will sometimes launch ourselves unsteadily.
We will fumble and stumble, especially before we feel “ready.”
Of course, we cannot expect to live our lives or walk our paths without stumbling.
Stumbling is critical for growth; it's character-building.
But, perhaps we could try be more intentional and mindful?
And we can definitely have more grace for ourselves when we trip or fall.
