Living Your Truth

I am a firm believer in living your truth – being authentic in your actions, thoughts and values, no matter what the world expects from you. Oftentimes the actions and values part is easy, it’s the thoughts that trip you up.

I’m definitely a work-in-progress where this is concerned, and am reminded of that on what seems like a daily basis. Take, for instance, just this week.

I have been spending time exploring my new town, and for someone like me who loves to walk, that means on foot. So I set off on new trails up and down the coast, taking me through beautiful evergreen forests filled with giant, old growth Sitka Spruce dripping with moss, their shallow roots crisscrossing the path; past meandering streams with views of the ocean; across bridges and past ponds with lily pads.

I was on one such trail, doing a little forest bathing, taking in all the beauty that surrounded me. I wasn’t in any hurry, since it was a short one-mile loop, so I took my time. My thoughts went to taking Forest Bathing groups here. It had all the features that I look for – a fairly level path, natural beauty, water. I was making mental notes that I would remind folks to watch their step because of all the roots that zigzagged across the trail, but that shouldn’t be any problem, right?

The highlight was the pond and I thought that would be the perfect place for forest tea. As I stepped off the bridge over the pond, my foot came down on some of those roots, and I twisted my ankle as I fell. But that wasn’t the worst of it. As my other foot came down, I also twisted that ankle. So now, here I am, in the middle of nowhere, with two twisted ankles. Luckily I was near the end of the loop and not too far from the car, although it sure felt like an eternity to get there.

Who has time for something like this? So I did all the things – rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E.) – and now it’s just a waiting game. Now I don’t know about you, but being in pain makes me incredibly grumpy, and it’s probably a good thing that Tim is out of town and I have only the cats and myself to be grumpy to.

How does all this fit in with living my truth? Well, ironically, earlier this week I shared a gratitude meditation with my group. Within this meditation is a passage that speaks to finding gratitude when there are bumps in the road, and being grateful for the life lessons they bring you. Every mishap (or misstep in my case) is a chance to slow down, to live in the present moment, to really focus on what matters the most. Admittedly, that was not my first reaction, so after some time, I returned to that passage.

And so I am reminded that this is just a minor inconvenience and only a temporary setback. I know that when the tissues heal, I can have gratitude for these feet that take me to beautiful new places, and for living a relatively pain free life. And right now I have gratitude for the people in my life who bring me bandages and check on me and send me sweet messages. It’s been said that the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude, so thank you beautiful Sitka Spruce, for sending your roots across my path, for reminding me of this wonderful life full of adventure. For this I have gratitude.