If you've been following my walking blogs, this is my third 90-day walking blog, of three this year. My first, Walk In All Weathers, was literally the brainchild of a moment. I was walking almost knee-deep in snow on a very wintry Scottish day, and thinking about walking and blogging and Just Doing Things. All these thoughts came together and I suddenly realised that it doesn't matter how long you plan or think or imagine or dream you are going to get this or that thing done...at the end of the day you have to just get off your ass and do it. Even if it's not perfect - even if it isn't quite what you imagined it would be - and even if you're not even sure whether you should go for it at all. Starting, continuing, and finishing are incredibly valuable, and I've learned much about each. You can read on for a summary of what I learned by walking every day, regardless of the weather (and Scotland has that in spades!).
My second blog, Tea In All Weathers, came directly after the first, mostly because I was beginning to lose impetus. I found that without the push of a blog to write and photos to take and people to comment, days went by with no walk and no writing and the result was that I got grumpier. I'm at my best when I'm out in the elements every day, getting fresh air and exercise and a cleaned-out mind and a glimpse of the world's beauty and then coming home to pull it all together and keep my creativity alive. Every part of my life was better when the simple things were disciplined. Certainly, there were days I just couldn't do it anymore, and days when the blog posts were short or the photos not really a work of art in my mind, but again there was much to learn, and you can read on about what I learned here.
This blog is actually the result of me coming across my list of Goals for 2011. One of those goals, surprisingly, was "Complete three 90-day walking blogs". I didn't even remember writing that one. I definitely remember the first blog being a goal, but when I set up the second one I thought it was the brilliant idea of a moment. It really has cemented in my mind the fact that setting goals - and writing them down - is an incredible way to see things happen in your life, even if you only look at them once or twice a year. If you suddenly decide to make things happen, many times the 'thing' that you made happen is something you've wanted for a long time.
So my focus these next 90 days is on beauty. As a photographer, an artist, and a creative soul at heart, I see beauty everywhere. And as a Christian, I'm conscious of its great import in our lives. The beauty we see in this life originates with God, and reflects the true beauty that He has...beauty we can't fully comprehend until we move on to the next life. So I intend to look out for beauty on my daily walks, and at home, and in friends and buildings and countries and little things....and even, some days, in myself.
May you, too, see beauty everywhere.
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