..sharing our walk..

Day 2

I enjoy being among people. But I like to enjoy walking or jogging alone.

Whenever I go walking at Winton Woods, I'm after the same thing. I’m looking for quiet and tranquility. But yesterday, since it was the first day of the year, the park was flooded and saturated with people who began to work on their new resolutions.

As I walked I found myself waving and greeting people who seemed to accompany me on the walk.

Just as I began to walk, a few feet ahead I saw a family strolling in the park. It appeared mom and dad came out to walk the dog, but the grandfather, daughter on a bicycle, and older sister tagged along.

For a moment I thought that although our purpose for walking were different, we are still walking along the same path. They walked the dog, and I walked to meditate while burning some calories.

I admit that as I kept walking, I thought it would be annoying to be amongst the bustle of so many people. I thought it would ruin the quiet that I enjoy while walking in the park.

To my surprise, it was not so. I realized that regardless of the people with whom I shared the path, my walk was not affected at all. I still managed to find the quiet I sought.

Then I realized that we are always going to share our walk in life with others. However, our personal experience does not have to be affected. Our state of inner peace should not be correlated to the actions of others.

Although tough times are no were in sight on this second day of the year, remember that circumstances change.

During this coming year, you may encounter moments when your inner peace will be challenged and tested. However, take heart in realizing that inner peace is independent of external situations.

I dare say that inner peace feeds contentment. Yet contentment is possible when we stop comparing our walk to the walk of others. Altogether, remember that sharing the walk is quite different from comparing your pace and purpose to that of others.