Life in Chalk {Lessons from the Sidewalk}
Posted by Tonya Salomons on May 6, 2015 in Journal | 1 comment
My schedule is full of breathing room again so I’ve started getting up around the same time the sun peeks over the horizon to go for a walk. I’m on summer break from school which means that I’m no longer shackled to the hallowed halls of academia. It also means that the stress of All. The. Things. has subsided and I have space to tap on keys and watch words appear here in this space.
Breathing. I’d almost forgotten how. How the cool morning air fills my lungs and with it a new found purpose.
This week I strapped on my shoes, loaded my favorite sermon series podcast onto my iPhone and headed out to the trails in the woods behind the school. It takes time for my mind to settle but finally I find contentment in the cool breeze kissing my cheeks. With each step I feel the freedom of margin finally become my reality.
I’m in no hurry. There is nothing holding me in the clutches of time. But it’s hard to slow the frenetic when frenetic is all you’ve been used to for so long. I turned off the road and took the path that leads into the woods trying desperately to slow my pace, to take the time capture the beauty of an unhurried morning.
I almost missed them. They were there right beneath my feet yet I almost walked over them without a second thought. The powdery messages sprawled across the path, in childhood scrawl, spelling errors and all. Messages to each passerby to stop and engage.
When I finally noticed the first one I had to retrace my steps. They were just too wonderful to ignore, and with each new message I could feel my smile growing bigger. What a beautiful way to spend a morning!
The notes in chalk were nothing earth-shattering. They weren’t big revelations steeped in profundity, they were just simple lessons meant for living life to the very edges, every single day. And, it all got me thinking, how I need reminders to slow down, enjoy the pace of rest and life my life by these simple sidewalk lessons.
For the next 11 weeks on Thursdays I would love it if you would join me for Life in Chalk {Lessons from the Sidewalk}. Each week will be a different message with some encouragement for you to live your life with sidewalk simplicity.
Won’t you come join me for walk?
I love this so much! In our town, we just had a huge touristy weekend of Wine Barrel Tasting events all over our county. But - sort of underground and grass roots - there was a planned Chalk Bomb! So - local businesses had buckets of sidewalk chalk and you just went to ask for them and created art and positive messages in front of their buildings to help decorate the sidewalks and oh my goodness it was so much fun! I am hoping they make it an annual event! (And yay for summer break, the return of breathing, and WORDS in this space!) xoxo