Don’t know if this has ever happened to you. I decided this morning that I would go for a walk later in the afternoon. But when it came to 5 o’clock I just didn’t feel like it. So the silly to and fro internal dialogue began — between adult and child. The adult saying, “You made this commitment,” and “You need to get out.” The child whining, “But I don’t wanna!”
The adult won and the whole of me is so happy! Not least because it inspired this article.
Starting out rather grumpily I slowly began to notice my surroundings. Tendrils of vines draped over the garden wall. Slim arrow shaped swallows dipped and swooped through the air. A go-away bird drifted up to a tree branch. A few crimson-coloured poinsettias poked out along the verge.
At the beginning of my walk the clouds hung heavily in grey billows across the sky. They then slowly eased apart beginning to glow with the sun shining through until they gently faded into pinks and mauves.
As I walked, a brisk breeze pushed against my face. I could feel my lungs expanding and the blood pounding through my arteries and veins. I felt invigorated! All those endorphins were swooshing gleefully through my body.
I walked passed a car with the branding “Genuine Satisfaction” for, can you believe it — e-cigarettes! Admittedly the air I was breathing was slightly tinged with carbon monoxide but nothing could beat the simple pleasure of walking around my suburb, definitely not a cigarette — electronic or not.
Drinking in everything I was seeing and experiencing in this moment made me feel utterly alive. It made me realise that this was all transferred to me through my senses.
In the movie City of Angels, Nicholas Cage plays an angel who literally falls in love with a human. To be with her he has to fall from his angel state to become human. As an angel he doesn’t have the human capacity of such physical sensations as touch and taste. As a human he relishes biting into the juicy sweet grittiness of a pear. He luxuriates in a hot shower with the steamy spray pouring down his bare skin.
The movie is asking the question, what is it about being human that could possibly be better than being an angel? They’re answer is not just the romance and wonder of love. The essence of feeling completely alive and being truly human is living in the moment. It is paying attention to what our senses are drawing in. It’s all about savouring what is simply around us — what we see, hear, feel, smell and taste.
I’m so glad I listened to the sensible adult in me because my inner child is skipping with delight!