Walk on grass
While driving to my client’s new home for a training session last week, he texted to say he was running late. Pulling up to the house, my attention was drawn to the large, plush, and well-manicured lawn. Shutting off the engine, “Walk on grass” came to my mind.
This expression has come to prominence in the last few years, and encourages us to get off our screens, take a break from our hectic lives, and spend time outdoors.
Gazing at the lawn, I heard it again—“Walk on grass.” It struck me that it had likely been decades since I’d felt grass under my bare feet, and I was clearly being prompted to change that.
I got out of the car, pulled off my shoes and socks, and stepped onto the lawn. The cool, tickling sensation of the grass confirmed that it had indeed been a long time.
Walking at a leisurely pace, my breathing slowed, my shoulders relaxed, and I felt present. The feet have thousands of nerve endings that send sensory information to the brain, and mine was telling me, “This is good.”
My client arrived a few minutes later, and as I put on my shoes, I not only appreciated the enjoyment of my stroll but also that I had listened to my inner voice instead of sitting in my car checking emails.
We’ve all been subtly nudged by our inner voice, which could be called guidance, to take a particular action. Maybe it’s to phone someone or do something special for them, start a project we’ve been thinking about, or even walk on grass.
Actively listening for and following the prompts of my inner voice is a work in progress that requires plenty of patience and mindfulness, but who couldn’t use more of those? I believe that when we’re prompted to take action, it's both for our benefit and for others, as well.
What are your thoughts? Whether you’re practiced at tuning in to your guidance, or if it’s more of a challenge, I’d love to hear how this concept lands with you.
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Slipstream
Walking barefoot in the grass sounds wonderful. You brought back memories of when I was a kid, every summer my shoes came off, and I didn't put them back on until I went back to school. I don't have any grass in my yard, but I'm sure my neighbors wouldn't mind if I borrowed their lawn.
Good for you for listening and actually following through. Not everyone would honor the prompt. I have a friend who told me he went shopping for athletic shoes and was looking at the ones he would normally buy. They were a certain brand and white. However, he got the distinct feeling he wasn't supposed to buy those, and as he looked at others, his eye was caught by a pair of black shoes, not white. He wasn't keen on the idea because it wasn't his pick, but he got the black shoes anyway. He said they were the best, most comfortable shoes he ever had. He started paying more attention and found he experienced a lot of new things in his life. He was thrilled and amazed.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Bootstrap
No fear. Perfect.
Present Valley
I so appreciate your grounded stories Well Street.
I also appreciate your gentle invitations to keep tuning in to our inner voice. I totally agree that following that guidance is a win-win. Sometimes it leads us to new things and sometimes it prevents us from taking an action that we probably shouldn't.
Following three nudges this year has resulted in tremendous joy and new found courage to explore my creative side. It started with a 3 month writing class, then learning to play the Buffalo Medicine Drum and most recently starting an online drawing class. Never would I ever have imagined doing any of these before. A mixture of terror and excitement have been my companions as I'm leaning into creativity.
Evangel
I find that I'm nudged to do surprisingly simple things, too. Anything that takes us back to the feel good times of youth is a positive, whether it's walking on grass, walking through a stream, listening to favorite old tunes, or having an ice cream cone. It's like these are throwbacks to simpler times that have the power to revive good memories which, in turn, trigger the chemistry of upliftment through our veins. Thanks for sharing your experience. I wish more people paid attention to such innocuous inner prompts.
Homeless Valley
I've read many stories about people being nudged away from troubles. Like getting the feeling they shouldn't do something they were committed to doing, following that feeling, and then avoiding a terrible thing that would have happened. I think a lot of people didn't go to work at their job in the twin towers that day because something interfered with it, or they just felt like they needed to stay home. I think I have a very active intuition, where feelings surface about what I should do or not. I try to go with that as often as possible, but I admit, as a result, I've been called out for flaking out of certain occasions or social events.
Well Street
It takes courage to honor what your intuition is telling you to do, especially if it's going to rub others the wrong way. Nevertheless, by heeding the nudges, I believe it strengthens our most important relationship—the one with ourselves.