I was listening this morning as I took a long walk to a
audio book that I want to share some thoughts from but before I do I would like
to prelude that discussion with another focused on my “long walk”. I have for
years been taught to stay active and busy as this is the best way to “get
things done”. The more I experience in life the more I question the sanctity of
this thought process. I find little value in my cerebellum regarding walking as
exercise so then what purpose does it serve? This has often been my question. A
jog, a run, sprints; biking all of these have exercise value I have often
realized and therefore I opted for one of these as part of my morning routine.
I enjoy the solitude of the items I mention above because it is a great time
for me to get more done by listening to great authors and teachers on my iPhone.
I have learned some great things while biking around the lake from Wayne Dyer,
Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn and many of the like.
Opposed to the fact that I have always struggled with
running as a form of exercise unless it is in playing a game. The adrenalin of
the sole activity of running has never been enough to mask the pain I feel
throughout my body when running in the mornings. As my body slowly awakes
running often reminds me of each and every joint that has not come fully awake
yet and the pain overrides the pleasure I hear many enjoy. Awaking in the
morning to play basketball, tennis or ultimate has never been as much of an
issue and I think that may be because I really lock in on the competitive
aspect more so than when I am running alone.
I love finding the routine, which was interrupted a lot this
year by travel, where I can find myself awaking to a new day and starting it in
the basics of building me. A large part of this basic routine was then biking
and listening to audio as I mentioned earlier but recently I discovered
something by accident with the simple changing of the seasons. A few weeks ago
I awoke in the morning for a bike ride and just as I took off down the street towards
the lake by my house I realized something had changed over night. The air had
turned brisk and summer was truly giving way to fall and with the lack of gear
I was wearing this made my face and hands bitterly cold. I am sure all of you
have experienced the same phenomenon where the cold wind almost feels like
small needles being poked at you as it hits the parts uncovered from riding
quickly through the wind. At that very moment on this new fall morning I made
an executive decision to turn around and go park the bike. The question I had
now was what to do? I could go play Basketball but then no audio book time in
the morning. I was puzzled and then decided to go for a walk. It would seem
like a simple decision but if you were watching me from above I began out the
gate and then paused to question the value of this time verses a strong bike
ride. I made this stuttered approach toward my street several times before
relenting to just move on and start the walk. I was walking down the street
about a mile or so while listening to an audio presentation when coincidentally
the speaker began to explore knowing how to slow down and enjoy life.
Questioning if people truly understood watching the things around them and
being a part of the world they live in or asking if we were all just moving to
quickly to notice it. He brought up the simplest things liking watching the
wind hit the trees, or the grass grow and of course beyond to the point of
truly being aware of the people around us. I began to think that this morning
was ordained for me to slow down and see some things a little differently when
I remembered something I had read in the past.
It was a quote from President Harry S. Truman when he was
heard to say “Take a two mile walk every day before breakfast” That’s it, pure
and simplistic in nature. I remember even doing a talk one time, not on the
literal interpretation of taking a walk but more on the understanding we are
never to busy to slow down. The story of Harry Truman was a unique one because
I love history and knowing some of his background this quote meant so much
more. It was Harry Truman who was elected to the office of President of the
United States at a very critical time in history. It should be enough for all
of us to see the demands this office has on every individual that enters it. It
is a common occurrence that every individual who holds the office of POTUS ends
up turning to grey hair at a very expedited rate after securing the position. I
have seen this over and over enough to realize that the daily demand and
pressure of the office is something I cannot completely understand.
In addition the term that Truman served was during the
second world war and the office of POTUS has long since been recognized to be a
prominent leader responsible for the allied decisions made during both world
wars. It is a secondary burden I cannot imagine of holding the office to begin
with but then being expected to go far beyond the boundaries of the United
States and make decisions that would have impact on the world at large and all
of its citizens. I would think that demand for his attention to daily matters
and challenges would be among the greatest of any position imaginable.
There was a third component that I remember reading of which
made me ponder that much more. I remember reading of the deteriorated state of
the White House during Truman’s presidency and it was in such disrepair it
would require a complete restoration. In the second week of his family occupying
the home it was my understanding that while listening to their daughter
practice piano the Truman family watched the piano slip through the rotten second
floor and they were evacuated to live across the street in the Blair house for
safety.
Harry Truman took this omen as a responsibility that he
should reconstruct the house that represented the history of a nation. He
oversaw daily construction while they completely gutted the original fixture.
It was at this time that he had the foresight to imagine the entire complex of
the west wing and the subterranean structure we now know as the modern day
white house. Although it is not of public record it is said that if you could
lift the entire white house complex out of the ground you would find that it
runs six stories deep under that which we all recognize from street level at
Pennsylvania Avenue. There were many photographs of Harry Truman personally managing
in a hard hat to determine the construction of a national symbol. There was a
need to move heavy operating equipment inside the hollowed out structure to
complete the job. Truman was said to have dictated that the “four original
walls” would not be disturbed. They literally were said to have dismantled the
heavy equipment, bolt by bolt, to be used only after reassembling inside the
structure. It was a task of mammoth proportion, which only looks smaller when
you add it to the day-to-day operations of being the President of the United
States. Oh and that other small task of being the daily commander and Chief of
the Allied forces in World War 2 in which he made the decision to drop the atom
bomb.
Thinking of all he truly had on his plate and then somehow
his quote came back to me on this day while walking. “Take a two mile walk
every day before breakfast”. I started realizing it was literal and I needed to
make time to be slow in my life. To see the world I am living in and to not
allow it to sweep me up inside of each days activities.
I started focusing on walking in silence and walking and
listening and then realized this fall will definitely be one to remember in my
life. That morning I took a walk several miles long and it was really quiet
outside and as I watched and listened there was a really cool peace that came
over me. I listened to Chopra talk about learning to find yourself only takes
place when you are willing to leave the shallow waters and move into the
deepest part of the ocean that is your life. Then dive, dive deep into the
darkest part to search for the pearl of your life that cannot be priced because
it is too valuable.
I listened this morning and learned that all that exists in
the world only exists as a result of me and my choices and my perceptions. Does the flower smell sweet if you are not
there to smell it? Does the flower feel soft if you are not there to touch it?
Knowing that all sensations and realities of life take place within me gives me
an amazing amount of power if I will only choose to use it wisely. I am
listening again and again to learn that this is what taking time for two-mile
walks is all about. I have to know to set aside time in my life to not be in a
hurry to get the job done but rather be ready to see what my life really is and
should be about. Thank you to Truman, Lincoln, Lee, Aristotle, Chopra, Dyer and
many other great leaders for working hard to share these thoughts with me. I am
really glad it was too cold to ride my bike that morning!
Ps. I still played Tennis that night ;-)
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