Embrace the journey on your way to your destination

I have been very house bound these past few weeks. Actually to be more specific room bound. I spend much time on my bed with my laptop on my lap (go figure) and the television playing in the background. So this Thursday after work I decided to get some much needed exercise and go for a walk on the Greenway boardwalk a mile from my house.

It was near 5pm so the sun was starting to take its decent and it begged to blind my eyes, the fall leaves crunched under my feet, the smell of cool air embraced my lungs and grabbed so tightly making it more and more difficult to breathe as i took each passing step. I was about half way through my walk when i noticed a side path off of the main boardwalk. Deciding that this adventure needed some spicing up I decided to follow the dirt path. Beyond the trees i found a little stream, so I sauntered down to the edge of the water and plotted myself down. I just sat and listened to the water trickle past and I couldn't help but wonder; when was the last time I enjoyed my surroundings? I was hard struck to find a time when I simply enjoyed the journey, not being completely preoccupied with my destination. Something so simple as going for a walk, the entire time I am walking I usually am concerned with how long I have been walking, how much longer I have to go and when will i reach my car so I can begin my next task. How many times have I missed the colourful crunching leaves under my shoes, or the warmth of the sun on my face or the pure fact that God has created such beauty all around me and I ignore it almost every single day.

In the grand scheme of things I have been living my life much with the same attitude as I have when I go for a walk, what is my destination and how long until i get there. I am so concerned with what my next step is in life that I miss the enjoyment of taking the step. It is time to stop walking through my life like a New Yorker, only concerned with where I am going, and instead start enjoying everything in my life with all my five senses maybe more so like a tourist visiting the big apple for the very first time. There is no point in getting to ones destination without being able to remember the journey that got you there.