Slow and Steady

Determination, a photo by royalwin on Flickr.

Thank you for teaching me patience and that it is okay to be slow. What is more important is that we reach the goal.

Lessons learnt from walking the labyrinth

In A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink tickled my fancy when he discussed the differences between mazes and labyrinths. A maze is a series of compartmentalized and confusing paths, most of which lead to dead ends. When you enter, the objective is to escape as quickly as you can. A labyrinth, on the other hand is a spiral walking course. When you enter the goal is to follow the path to the center, stop, turn around, and walk back out all at whatever pace you choose. Mazes are analytical puzzles to be solved; labyrinths are a form of moving meditation. Most importantly, the key difference between the two is that how mazes engage the left brain while labyrinths free the right brain.

Since reading the book I have been intrigued and curious to experience this for myself. Fast forward to 2 years later, I finally had the opportunity to test it out by visiting a lovely outdoor labyrinth at Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA.





I began my labyrinth walk after reading the instructions. Essentially, the most important point is to keep to the path from the beginning to the end. Go at a pace that one is comfortable with. I decided to go as slowly as I can manage. There was nothing transcendent about it at first, it was pretty much like walking on any other path. In fact it felt as if I was simply walking in a circle which was a little strange. The surprise came knocking when I became aware that I had been through a particular path since it felt familiar. However that cannot possibly be true because I had been walking. By definition, it means I'd moved. This teaches me that there will be time in life when I feel as though I am not making progress when in fact I have. I must not focus and trust my feelings alone. As long as I'm walking, there is progress. Perhaps not the progress that I desire but progress nonetheless.

There were also times when instead of heading towards the destination, the path brought me away from it. Again, this was counter-intuitive since the goal was to arrive at the destination rather creating distance between where I was and the endpoint. Leaving that thought I pressed on, following the path as it led me; trusting the path rather than my rational thought. At some point calmness took over. Along with it comfort and trust came too as I decided to let go of the mental chatter and just follow, knowing that it will bring me to the end. That seems to be the "escape for the right brain" that Pink talked about. Interestingly when it was least expected, I reached the center of the labyrinth. What an experience! A simple exercise that is rich with life lessons. Amazing.

To summarize, these are the lessons that came to me.
1. Before starting on a journey (literal or metaphorical), I need to be clear of my destination.
2. As long as I keep walking, I am making progress and I will reach the goal.
3. Don't trust what I see. Even if it seems or feels wrong, suspend judgment, keep the openness and trust the path.
4. To get to the goal, I may have to walk back and forth several times. This is part of the process. It does not reflect my competence. Neither does it necessarily mean that I am backpedaling.
5. Focus on the goal (the center of the labyrinth) as I walk. With eyes fixed on the prize it is easier to keep walking and ignore the nagging and discouraging voices that try to confuse me.
6. When I'm in the flow I don't feel the burden and when I least expect it I have arrived at the destination.
7. The journey to the goal is not always linear.

"The labyrinth is viewed as a metaphor for life's journey. It offers lessons as we walk the path. Walking the labyrinth can assist us to address challenges. Meditate. Pray and find peace and serenity."

Have you experienced something similar before? I'd love to hear your experience or any comment on this post for that matter.

If you find this meaningful and useful, please feel free to share with your friends and loved ones.

To readers who keep coming back, I appreciate your support. To new reader, warmest welcome and thank you for coming by! Please subscribe to My Favourite Things if you like what you see here.

Happy New Year!

A brand new year is upon us once again and to you my readers I like to wish you a year filled with great promises and joy. Thank you for sticking around even though I have been sporadic with the updates. Hopefully the juice will flow more easily and I don't succumb to laziness!

I shall leave you with a picture that expresses why I love my walk. Other than keeping me healthy it allows me to enjoy nature and capture beautiful moments such as this.


I wanted to take the footprints when the bird decided to take flight. Not complaining.

Picture of the Week (POTW)

Picture taken at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. (July 2010)

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Picture taken at Avenue of the Giants, Eureka CA. (July 2010)

I totally love the natural lighting. Awesome!

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Picture taken at Hakone Gardens, Saratoga CA. (Aug 2010)

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Picture taken at Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite National Park, CA (May 10)

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Picture taken at Half Moon Bay, CA (May 10)

I always have a thing for birds that are flying so freely in the sky. Somehow when I look at them, I feel happy and free.

"That little bird has chosen his shelter. Above it are the stars and the deep heaven of worlds. Yet he is rocking himself to sleep without caring for tomorrow's lodging, calmly clinging to his little twig, and leaving God to think for him." - Martin Luther

P.S. I'm not sure who is still reading since it's been a while since I updated it. It is my desire to do a better job and if you're reading this thank you for not giving up on me :)

TGIF

Something to brighten your day :)

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Picture taken in a bayou in New Orleans (Feb 10)

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Picture taken in front of our apartment (Jan 10)

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Picture taken at Great Reno Balloon Race. (Aug 09)


P.S. We will be on holiday till early December. Thanks for visiting!

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Picture taken at an Waikiki Beach, Honolulu. (March 09)

Thanks for visiting

Hi there! I like to apologize for the lack of updates on this blog. We were away on a long holiday and as a result i lose the momentum in keeping this blog. Thank you for still visiting :)

We had an incredible time on our cruise to Alaska. You learn so much when you travel - you get to see how other people live their lives, how they cope with life situations and most of all you get to see amazing sights. Alaska has lots to offer. On one of our excursions, we went on a train ride to Yukon, Canada and that place totally blew us away. Naked beauty is how I would describe it. When I look at all these beautiful sights, I can't help but feel humbled. I will share some of the pictures and let them speak for themselves. Enjoy!


Hubbard Glacier


Whale watching


White Pass and Yukon Route


Emerald Lake, Yukon Canada


Beautiful Glacier at Juneau


Dog-sled ride.


Beautiful skies

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Picture taken at an Hearst San Simeon SHM, CA (Aug 09)

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Picture taken at an Earthquakes' game Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (Aug 09)

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Picture taken at Big Basin Redwoods State Park Boulder Creek, CA (Aug 09)

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Picture taken at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (Nov 08)

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Picture taken at Alcatraz Island, CA
July 09

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A dog that we saw at one of the beaches along 17-Mile Drive, CA.

Kinda made me miss Casper, our Maltese who is back in Singapore.