Kay:
Welcome Questers! Today is a Thoreau-Thursday, and on this Episode 89 we have a quote coming at ya from Henry David Thoreau.
Shi:
He says, “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
Kay:
Oookay! Now, being fans of early morning walks – early morning exercise – and walks in general – we can say that Mr. Thoreau is correct here.
Shi:
Yep! I’m glad it’s Thoreau-back Thursday and that we could talk about this because it’s a practical tip that can help start your day, set up your mood, get your momentum flowing, get your blood flowing, and really set you up for success for the whole entire day!
Kay:
Now, just because this quote is centered around something physical doesn’t mean that you should Thoreau it away ;)…You want to lean in instead and really think about this: An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. Because, there really is something special about the mornings…When you are first waking up, you are a little bit more susceptible (because you’re still sleepy!), so you’re impressionable to things that are unimpeded and uninterrupted by your constant, incessant never ending THINKING!
Shi:
It goes, and it goes, and it goes! But, like us, our thinking does have to boot up in the morning and so we’ve got a little bit of time there. And, getting your body physically moving, while your mind is in that sort of “blink and boot up” online mode, can help you take a little more control over the direction of your thoughts, and channel them so that your first online energy can be towards doing something that makes you feel good the rest of the day! Because, we know when we feel physically good that we also accomplish more, feel happier, healthier, and are all around just better people!
Kay:
Well, and the fresh air can do you some good, as well as can the vitamin D from the sun. But, there’s something about the early morning – when things are still a little quiet – and when your mind is even a little bit quiet – and you have the opportunity to get outside. That “quietude” affords you a greater space for blessing and gratitude to flow in! Being in nature (which is like one of the most bountiful, plentiful places ever, by the way 🙂 – even if it’s just a walk around your block, or exploring a tree that provides for a family of birds – those moments in nature can help you understand that you are supported like that too, and that you have that kind of love in your life as well. So it really can help you to truly bless the whole day!
Shi:
Right? Well, and once you see or observe one of those things in that very impressionable, first-thought-phase of the morning, you look for those things the rest of the day as well. So it’s this blessing of feeling good and accomplishing something, and it’s also this blessing of taking that moment of movement to hopefully find the blessings along the way…smelling the blossom – or enjoying the walk – or feeling in a space of presence and of intentionality…All of those things can happen, and then that positivity will just compound through the day. And, quick PSA: There’s nothing wrong with an evening walk either. If the options are an early morning walk or NO walk…you’re still better off going for the evening walk. But, the unique nature of the morning walk is that you get to feel that compounding effect of it throughout the whole day afterwards!
Kay:
Yeah! And, even if you DO decide to talk an afternoon walk, it can be so beneficial! Especially if you have any kind of pent up emotions that you might be processing from the day. You know, they say that emotion is energy in motion. So, if you’re sitting in your house and you’re brooding and you feel bad...GO for a walk! It will help you. Because it gets your body flowing and your blood pumping – it gets your heart to send more waves throughout your body – and overall forces your energy to start flowing in, in the physical sense. And, maybe you can help break up some of those emotions that aren’t making you feel so good!
Shi:
Well, what’s interesting is a lot of us have this knowledge of the fact that moving our body can make us feel better. And yet, when we get into an emotional state and recall this fact, we’re like, “no, I’m not in the mood”, ot “I don’t feel like it.” And you have all of these justifications and arguments against it…but at the end of the day, if you think you’re a logical person and you know this fact to be true, then why wouldn’t you (at the very least) TRY it?! Even if you weren’t absolutely sure it was true. And, maybe you have some kind of relationship with that emotional state, where you’re not willing to give it up yet…. But that’s not really a neutral energy either….SO – doing something like what Thoreau tells us here, helps us avoid that altogether by starting the day off right with that moment for reflection, connection with nature, and opportunity for physical movement. And, as Thoreau tells us, an early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day!
Kay:
And, many of you have expressed to us that you listen to The Mentorship Quest first thing in the morning. And, if you do, thank you so much….If you listen to us at all, thank you so much!
Kay and Shi:
(*Laughter*)
Kay:
But many of you are here with us first thing, early in the morning. So, if you can right now, get up on your feet and get yourself outside! Take your headphones out and go for a quick walk here in the morning. DO IT! But, regardless, your quest for today is to: just get out there and go for a walk, man! Thoreau said it best…it’ll be a blessing for your whole day!
Shi:
Take a walk, peeps!
