I decided not to set my alarm last night and woke up later than normal. Instead of feeling rested from the extra sleep and ready for the day, I felt sluggish and unmotivated. When I eventually got moving, I spent longer than I needed to on my computer, so by the time I got out of bed I was running late. I quickly got ready for work and was out the door with my dog for a short walk.
I normally enjoy walking with my dog, feeling the fresh morning air and watching his delight in finding all the scented messages left by the other dogs and animals.
But this morning, I was feeling rushed and wanted to get it over and done with so I could leave. On top of that, I was trying to answer a text that seemed urgent at the time. As I walked down the path, I was surrounded by a swarm of mosquitos. My texting was completely interrupted by continually slapping myself and waving my hands around in an attempt to shoo the mosquitos away from my arms and face. This went on for a few hundred metres until I reached a certain point along the track and stopped. I realised it was time to turn around and start my walk and day afresh. I put my phone in my pocket and started to walk feeling my footsteps. After several paces I felt steady again, no longer caught up in the rush and stress of feeling that I was running late. I was aware of my whole body and began to enjoy feeling it as it moved. I had to laugh as I suddenly realised there was not a single mosquito around me on my walk back.
The symbology of the mosquitos on my walk was not lost on me as the contrast was stark! When I was out of sync with my day, distracted and frustrated instead of being present and enjoying myself on my walk, life (represented by the mosquitos) was all over me.
As soon as I stopped and came back to feeling my body as I walked, the thoughts, drama, and self-berating disappeared, just like the mosquitos.