Head Space




Anchoring in today to #beresilient with 

Space


About three years ago I thought I was suffocating. Busy roads. So many people. Confined. I would no longer ride my road bike, so had I lost that particular feeling of freedom. Still had the trails; thankful for that. But for some reason, the walls of life were closing in. I couldn't explain it, and at the time, really didn't understand it.

I'm a born and raised Austinite. My parents moved to Lake Austin in the early 1950's and I was born in a very remote location west of Austin in the early 60's. My most "remote" memory growing up was cresting the RR620 hill coming down by St Luke's Church and looking down into the vastness of Lake Travis and the upper hills of Lake Austin surrounding Mansfield Dam. There was one single light in that entire landscape that pierced the darkness for decades. "I wonder whose light that is?" I'd question every time I saw it. Just one. One single light in that entire panoramic view. (Except during the holidays - LCRA would put Christmas lights up along the guardrails of Mansfield Dam - back in the day when you actually drove over that narrow expanse!)

Space.

I was born with lots of it. We were surrounded by thousands of acres of a working cattle ranch, and fortunate enough to have access to the trails to ride, run and play. My dad would sit me atop my horse, pop her in the flank and tell me to be home by dinner - at the age of six. No boundaries. No rules. No need. The only confines was the setting sun, as I knew that was my time clock and mom would worry if I didn't beat it back. There was nothing like just being able to "go". Roam. Think. Play. Explore. Adventure. Be Free.

Space.

Three years ago we were visiting our son in Arizona and I had a defining moment of what that stifling sensation in my life was. It wasn't the actual physical space that my body needed most, but the mental space of which the openness created for me. I remember cresting a rise on a trail mountain biking and looking out and seeing nothing but nature - vastness, air, no boundaries, no people. Miles upon miles of nothing but this vista of nature. I immediately felt a wave of tension move away from my body. It made me realize that I had been missing the physical space which had a direct connection to my mental space.

Space.

It's not so easy to acquire in the areas where most of us live - especially at this current time when public areas and parks are closed. However, as a born and raised lake girl, I'm so thankful our waterways are still open. There are areas in the country that they are not, and it absolutely makes me question what closing our physical spaces does for our mental wellness? Can we be socially responsible to still gain the mental benefits in a safe manner? I'd like to think so.

I'm very thankful to have "blue" and "green" space to retreat to. It's funny - my social distancing and isolation when I'm outdoors is actually my highest level of mental, emotional and "soulful" connection. A huge expanse is not totally necessary to reap the benefits; creating your own outdoor SPACE can be just as meditative, peaceful and healing. The point is to find it, use it and let your mind and soul benefit from it. #waterismedicine #natureismedicine

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