Walking
from Crack to Crack
May 19, 2002
Welcome
to Wyndspirit Dreams! My car spent a few days in the shop last week,
leaving me to walk four miles to work or call in. I am too stubborn (and
broke!) to miss work, so I walked.
I didn’t enjoy the first
walk very much. I wasn’t sure exactly how long it would take me, and I
was afraid I’d walk four miles to work only to get written up for logging
in late. The evening was gorgeous and the birds were singing their hearts
out, but all I could focus on was walking as fast as I could to get to
work on time. I had been dreading walking the second evening, because I
was aching and sore and frustrated at still not having my car. As
it turned out, despite the aches and a raw wind, it was completely different.
I was having so much fun that I actually turned down two rides.
What
was the difference? I knew the second walk was going to be difficult, so
I concentrated on focusing on one small goal at a time. At first I walked
from side street to side street, but they were too far apart and made the
“goals” too far away to inspire me. Then I walked from highline pole to
highline pole. That was a little better, but still a bit of a stretch.
Then I started walking from crack to crack. The cracks in the highway were
a lot closer than the highline poles. Time flew by and my pace remained
brisk as I walked along, heading for the next crack, frequently able to
see a couple “goals” ahead. I made the trip to work faster than I had the
day before, despite the aches.
When
I had one ultimate goal, and every step was focused on that goal, the walk
seemed endless. I did eventually reach my goal, but it wasn’t much fun.
When my goals were relatively close, I could see each goal coming up and
reach it with a minimum of effort. It was a game, but it brought me to
my ultimate goal faster and with less stress than when I shot directly
for my ultimate goal. And—equally important—I had fun along the way!
I
started thinking about all my dreams, wondering how many of them I could
break down into smaller goals. Maybe even some of my short-range goals
are far enough away that they are too intimidating to work towards. I wonder…
If I could consistently just walk from crack to crack… Maybe I could
eventually reach my goals. Maybe I could even reach them faster than I
thought. And, even if I didn’t… I could have more fun along the way!