Develop, and perfect your intuition
Applying just the right intonation to her name, the girl who could be dead to the world a second ago would perk up and stare at us expectantly. The word ‘walk’ had to gradually be spelled out, then shortened to a single letter, and subsequently changed to ‘explore’. We think she’s slowly learning said substitute word, so we are slowly introducing yet another phrase to say without her understanding it.
Give 110% of your time and energy to things you’re passionate about, including:
‘Zoomies’ around the coffee table when we are all gearing up for our regular exploration outside, even at the expense of her own time because it delayed us from securing her harness and leash on, or placing her inside her stroller.
Channel all of your focus towards your final destination, paying attention to nothing, and no one else.
Hit that ‘Turbo’ button to reach your intended destination in the fastest time possible.
Stop and smell the roses. No one lives out the literal meaning of this phrase , though in Nala’s case, it is more about stop and smell every. single. blade. of grass!
Know a good thing when you see/experience it, and keep doing it for as long as you possibly could
For someone who couldn’t wait to reach the park or mall, she would, just as suddenly, dawdle slower than a bride walking down the aisle as we start to veer back home. Or, as a good friend of mine (whom had the pleasure of looking after Nala for a few months) testified, the girl would put the break on, simply refusing to take another step.
Beyond the obvious benefits such as soaking up fresh air (or as fresh as could be, depending where you live) and increasing blood flow to every pore of your body, there is something invigorating and freeing about walking and enjoying nature. Often times, it has given clarity to my muddled mind. It has occasionally unkinked the knots on a particular section I’ve been struggling with, or provided me with those ‘light bulb moments’; from substituting a word here and there for a more impactful one to reworking a particular sentence or paragraph for a better flow.
In his ‘3-2-1’ weekly newsletter, 21 March 2024 edition, James Clear (author of An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones) wrote:
The reason people get good ideas in the shower is because it’s the only time during the day when most people are away from screens long enough to think clearly. The lesson is not to take more showers, but rather to make more time to think.
What has worked for you that takes you away long enough from the screens to think clearly? I would love to hear from you. Share your story by commenting below.
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