One Mile at a Time

This is going to be part travelogue and part therapist-speak.  

Once the pandemic was over to the extent that it was safe-ish to travel, we started taking driving trips.  One year to Shenandoah National Forest in Virginia. Another trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The following year we headed north to Montreal and Quebec. I highly recommend all of these. 

We just got back from the “circle tour” - the trip around Lake Michigan. We followed the lakeshore up the Michigan side and down the Wisconsin side. We went into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and I saw Lake Superior for the first time. Actually, in one day, we had breakfast on Lake Huron, drove along Lake Michigan and ended up at Lake Superior! 

There is a certain leisurely pace that we have fallen into on these trips, with few time deadlines except to be at a hotel by evening. What we see is what we see, what we don’t, we don’t. Altogether different than a trip overseas where you just can’t miss certain sites and landmarks.

On our trip around Lake Michigan, we were hoping to find the beautiful colors of changing leaves, sandy beaches, hiking trails, and a few good meals. We found it all!

What strikes me about these driving trips is how you see the country one mile at a time, sometimes one step at a time. You get to tune into the smallest details…an orange leaf on the path, a grove of pinecones and pine needles covering the ground, a frog jumping across the trail. You can quietly tune into these wonders of nature and find the simplicity of the out-of-doors.

End travelogue.  

How can we take aspects of vacations and bring them into our everyday, often hectic lives?

This goes back to my often-covered topic……being present in our lives. Seeing the events in our days one step at a time, instead of big sweeping chunks where we gloss over what is in front of us. 

Many people I know keep a pretty busy schedule. Maybe even me. So, the challenge becomes how to do all these things…and yet…to slow down and notice. Notice the air outside, the taste and aroma of morning tea or coffee. Notice the look on someone’s face when you give them a compliment. Or watch as fresh ingredients turn into a cooked dinner. Or a toddler’s excitement when you give them something as simple as Cheerios.    

With my clients, both kids and adults, we talk about going through a list of the five senses to tune into in a given moment. It is a technique to reduce anxiety when it flares up. With kids, I show them how to use each of five fingers to name the senses and then observe something in their surroundings for each of the senses. It can be done anywhere. What am I seeing, hearing, etc.? It invariably slows things down and allows one to be present. 

The current state of the country and the world are challenging right now. That might not change for a while. So, a counteraction to these feelings of stress, anxiety, or fear is to tune into the moments in our daily lives, as well as what we can influence.  

Small acts of kindness done for others can help us feel better too. Holding a door for a mom with a stroller. Inviting someone with one item at the store to go ahead of you. Throwing someone’s newspaper on their porch. Sharing some cookies you baked with a neighbor or friend. Please don’t underestimate the impact of small considerations for others. 

So I will try to hold on to the simple moments of my recent trip and look at the pictures to remind me. I wish you many simple moments too.