Pedometer

This week I received a pedometer from my employer along with a message encouraging me to "Be Healthy." A pedometer is a small device you attach to your waist band that counts the steps you take while walking. The idea is to try and increase the steps you take each day which leads to a healthier lifestyle. Pause...reflect, look at all the steps I have taken that I have not measured. An infinite number of steps; too many for my little pedometer to count. However, I can separate those steps into groups. Each group resembles one of the five senses; hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. I am amazed at how each group desperately relies on the others in a state of coexistence.

I hate to listen! I want to be the one doing all the talking. Fortunately, when I really focus, I am a gifted listener. Sometimes I don't even realize what I am hearing until years later. I look at the steps I have taken that involve listening and they include guidance, reading, music, and my conscience.  I am writing this post because of the thoughts racing through my head that won't allow me to get a good nights rest. One of my favorite things to listen to throughout the years has been children, especially the special ones I am privileged know. Another great thing to listen to is nature; the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, the wind in the trees or birds chirping...precious. 

Sight requires me to open my eyes first. I look around me and watch as others take steps that lead me in the right direction. I am able to choose my path wisely if I look at the paths others have chosen and the consequences for those choices. I also must look inside myself and be honest about my shortcomings and strengths. My open eyes allow me to lead others when they are lost or pick them up if they stumble on the path. Fortunately, I have the gift of encouragement and a bright light shines within me. Many times the path is treacherous and full of dangerous leaps that must be made blindly. I have discovered that once I accept the courage to make those leaps of faith, the most daunting ones are actually made up of thousands of tiny, simple steps. 

Wake up and smell the coffee and something smells fishy in here. Two contrasting statements that direct me safely along my journey. The former commands me to stop my wrong doing or face dire consequences. The latter is a warning sign before I even step down a dangerous path. Of the two, the coffee smells more offensive than the fish. Admitting to myself that I am already walking on the wrong path and making the leap or taking the thousands of steps required to get back onto the correct one is overwhelming. It is much easier to smell the fish before I step onto the wrong path. I have discovered my sense of smell is implanted deeply inside my heart and not plainly on the tip of my nose. 

How do you know you don't like it, you haven't even tried it yet? The flavors of life are plentiful. The courage to try new things and step down dimly lit paths allows me to taste what life has to offer. I  don't always like what I try, but each new taste is a step along my amazing journey. Trying new things allows me to fine tune my palette so that each step I take is more tasty than the one before. Not every flavor I taste is healthy for me; candy coated razor blades, they go down easily but tear me up once they are inside. Other flavors don't seem appetizing to me at first, but are actually the best tasting item on the menu. The best part of trying new flavors is the people I meet and experiencing those tastes with them.

Should I climb over that huge boulder in the way or should I try to feel my way around it? When my path is blocked I have to feel the best way to continue on safely. If I don't touch the boulder, I might not discover that occasionally it is a curtain, easily pushed aside and walked through. There is warmth, tenderness, frigid cold and sharpness as I feel my way along. Anxious steps are taken along a path full of tears that brings great joy further along; wading through the tears is the only way to find that particular joy. I stick my toe in to test the water before I jump in. Finally, I jump in and the water soothes and cleanses me. I receive massages that feel relaxing and relieve my tension. What a feeling as I dance along to the rhythm of the music in my heart.  

Countless steps grouped together have brought me to this place where I stand. I am in the middle of a journey that I hope ends in a place full of peace. If I hadn't taken the first step, I would never have been able to hope to reach that place. I have come such a long way, but there is so much further to go, each step steadily bringing me closer to my final destination. I pray that I continue to choose those steps wisely. 1, 2, 3...