Part of my retreat a few weeks ago was to hike every day: whatever the weather, whatever my motivation, I would leave my accommodation right after breakfast, pick up a 3 hour hike and just go for it. I ended up walking under the rain 1 day up to 2, and it was a rather foggy experience. But it was also nice to feel alone out there in nature, and I got proud of myself for going for it.
I was walking in a spot that was a bit more frequented-it’s one of the most beautiful hikes in the area, and a group of a dozen of men, in their 30-40s, all new hiking gears out, came into the other direction. They were chatting, laughing, not moving much, I figured their 3h30 hike would probably last until the evening. A few seconds later, I heard something in my back, somebody that sounded so slow that if it was going slower, it would probably go backwards. I figured it was one guy of the group, coming to pick up something he had lost or something.
But it was this fellow running. No proper sport gear, no running shoes, in his middle 80s I would say, slightly deformed by age (yes, my photo is straight), probably slower than most walkers, but there he was! Just going for it. Now, do you think “he is lucky he can still run at his age!” or do you recognize that maybe, the fact that he has been running for years made him healthy enough so that he can still run at his age?
When we start dreaming about what we would like in life, we (very soon in the process) get ourselves out of it with negative self talk like “I am too old”, “I am too fat”, “I don’t have time”, “I will look ridiculous” and end up doing nothing. While the best way is just to go for it. At your own pace, but get a sense of what it feels like, in your body, in your mind. Trust me, there is no better way to get a taste for this “new you” you are craving for and this newly opened window on a possibility will get you all the motivation you are looking for.
Marie Elizalde 