Healthy Chicks

I have a confession: I’m a social butterfly, I talk too much, and sometimes I don’t know when to shut up. But that’s not to say sometimes I don’t just like the peace and quiet of being alone. And today is definitely one of those days. During my morning run around the reservoir, I usually just go straight home after I finish my running loop, whether that be 2 miles, 3 miles or 5 miles. It’s just habitual. I run. I run or walk home, and then I go back to the hustle bustle of life.

But today was different. During my cool down, I noticed a little sole bench up on a hill. I may have seen the bench before, but today it was calling my name. I hiked up into the wooded area and sat on the bench to just think about life. It felt good. Then I decided to do something I’ve never done before: I attempted to meditate. OK, that’s a lie; I’ve tried this once before with my roommate in college, but we only got through a couple seconds before we both began snorting with laughter. Today, I was in a zone, and it definitely helped that I was by myself. I sat down on the grass in the wooded area next to my bench, closed my eyes and began to take a few deep breaths. At first, it felt silly but in less than a minute everything came together. I couldn’t feel anything but the sun on my face and the breeze running through through my hair. I couldn’t see anything but some light shining through my eyelids, and I couldn’t hear anything because I was hardcore zoning out. 

After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and everything seemed a little clearer, a little brighter, a little better. It kind of felt like the final relaxation phase in yoga (savasana) but on steroids. I think it’s safe to say I had a successful moment of meditation. I think it’s important that we all take a few moments to ourselves each day to get away from the rest of the world, forget about all our stresses, and just be. I’m not saying everyone has to go meditate on the top of a hill next to a bench in the woods, but getting away from it all is an important part of staying sane, happy and healthy. 

Now that I’m on my meditative streak, I’m going to continue my Sunday in a similar manner and book it to the Boston Public Gardens…yes, by myself.

What I’m Packing:

-a notebook

-my planner

-a pen

-my Life is Good Nalgene filled with water

-my BlackBerry (but only in case of work calls/emergency-not allowing myself to use the Internet)

-my camera (to take pics of the pretty fall foliage)

-one gluten free brownie with chocolate chips & walnuts (that I baked fresh last night)

-A Book (Water for Elephants)

What I’m Not Packing

-my friends (as much as I love them)

-my Mac

-my iPod

Do you ever let yourself escape from the rest of the world? I urge you all to have a “meditative” day dedicated to just you and only you…