Earlier this week I was privileged with a stay in Lake George to facilitate my “Sole Support” workshop at a statewide Annual Meeting for OCFS and OTDA Staff Development Coordinators. The workshop is designed to encourage leaders to identify creative ways to incorporate Connection, Walking and Nature into the workplace/workday as a proactive stress recovery strategy for individual, team and agency wellness, as means to increase presenteeism, engagement, and meaningful contributions, while mitigating burnout that contributes to rising healthcare and payroll costs.
Gifted a couple of sunny, warm and rain-free days, I met up with the Annual Meeting Coordinator, checked into my room, popped on my weighted vest, grabbed my water bottle and made my way toward the lake for a healthy dose of “outdoorphins”.
With the general sense of where to go (from the times I spent in Lake George during my childhood), I began to wander – no plan, no time constraints, no map, just pure wandering and exploring.
This pulled at my heart strings- recalling my childhood- out at daylight with neighborhood friends, no cell phones, no electronics, just our creative minds, energy, and a zest for “living with adventure”. Our only time constraint? “When the streetlights came on”, we all knew to be home.
Grateful for moments of “meditation in motion” like these, I relish the time when we, as children, didn’t and couldn’t appreciate the gift of “a simple way of living”- we only knew what was.
We had no clue that by simply moving (walking, running, hiking) in nature with our friends, that we were investing in our mental, physical, and social health. We had no clue that we were mitigating stress, that our boosts of energy were nurturing our brains and bodies, and that we were conditioning ourselves to be resilient.
As we age, we often lose our energy and zest for “living with adventure”; We often allow time constraints to restrict our “free flow in nature” time; And we often allow technology/electronics to interfere with our “presence” with ourselves, with others, and with nature.
Reflect on your younger years- those times you lived with a zest for adventure with no constraints, and when you had no electronics or technology.
What was better for you? Why?
While we cannot change time, how do/can you now as an adult, create a simpler way of living with time in nature, movement, and connection with others that supports your mental, physical, and social health?
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