Too busy to keep reading? (haha, we know you well, huh?) Listen in your car or even better, listen on your walk today.
Twists and turns feel more like ethereal drifting in Italy. Whether in a car or on foot, there's never a step in the
"right" direction because, as the road sign says, "tutte le direzione." The literal translation is "all directions" but my Italian friend says it's a reference for "There is no right way. You can reach your destination by going any which way." My spontaneous nature fell in love with this saying and I often think of it when I am faced with different options. I ask myself, "What outcomes am I looking for? What do I want to have happen?...How am I going to get there?" and I answer, "Any which way you like (in a bad Italian accent)."
We are always working to choose the right direction, decide on the right step and figure out where we are going and we are so afraid to get lost. In our effort to work really hard not to get lost, are missing out on stumbling into something more than what we thought we were looking for?
After getting lost many times, on foot and in the car in Italy, I realized that all roads in on the peninsula led to something beautiful. I became a bit addicted to getting lost when I was there. This was not the stressed out, anxiety ridden type of getting lost I experienced at home. This was a mindful release, carefree and timeless. Following a moment, a sunset, a staircase, a coffee, a beach... or the smell of something delicious in the distance.
My travel to Italy was primarily centered on work as I was in the Wine Industry. Our days began early and ran late into the evening, often without a lot of movement and a lot of consumption. In the early morning, before most of my colleagues were awake, I would often venture outside and walk, "tutte le direzione" style. On those walks I would notice small details of my surroundings, get time to breathe and destress before the day began and just move, without a plan and often with a pit stop for a doppio macchiato (double espresso with a little steamed milk) with all of the locals stopping on their way to work.
Even if it lasted just 20 minutes, allowing myself time to just roam changed the course of my days. I still remember getting up in the dark, walking and seeing the sun rise over the steeple in a small village or hearing the roosters sound off from a nearby farm. It really was that magical.
With every trip to Italy, there was a return home and when I returned home I always brought a lot back with me, mainly in the form of cultural lessons that had a positive influence on my well-being. What if I got lost at home, too? Would all roads lead to something beautiful?
Roaming, wandering without direction, has become a form of movement that I have built into my life at home. When I feel most constrained, stress or bogged down by the demands of life, the times when I feel like I don't have time, the times when I exhausted from talking or trying or deciding - I roam. Usually I choose a weekend morning to allow myself for more time but there are no rules when I roam. I do it my way and that means I leave the house with no plan or if I think ahead, I tell myself to just decide when I get there because, who knows, there might be a better route for me to take.
All roads lead to something beautiful, yes. The minute we start getting lost and stop being too busy to notice.
This blog entry is inspired by Joyce Schulman. She is the Co-Founder & CEO of 99 Walks and Jetti Fitness. We met at a wellness event and just couldn't stop talking. Today at Noon PST/3pm EST, we will be walking and talking on her podcast WALK + TALK (available on Spotify and Apple). Want to get walking? Join 99 Walks and help them on their mission to get a million women moving. 99 Walks is a community of women getting healthier and happier through the simple act of walking.
I'm Stephanie Fee, Founder & CEO of NOCK Sustainable Wellness. Our mission is to bridge the wellness gap that stands between work and our well-being by making healthy habit building easy and accessible, on the job and beyond.
The average American spends 1/3 of their life sleeping, 1/3 of their life working and 1/3 of their life on other things. Is your time at work standing between you and your health and wellness goals?
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