I like experimenting with new things. On walks I take in the evening I started trying this thing when I come to a straight line. I know it is a straight path. I see it before me. Then I close my eyes, and keep walking. I’ve done this a couple times and each time I notice something new each time and discover what I can do with my senses and how I react when faced with new situations. There are some surprising similarities with everyday life.

At first, I have a feeling of ease. “This is easy, all I have to do is keep going forward.” Then a sense of disorientation sets in: “Am I drifting to the left or the right?” I start worrying trying to correct my perceived errors.

Unmistakingly, every time I feel I’m going a little too much to the left, I end up on the right of the path in a matter of steps, without even noticing my drifting. And vice versa.

I go back home and think about it.

Then next time I go take my evening walk, I repeat the same thing. After I open my eyes, I look where I want to go, close my eyes, focus on where I want to go, and keep walking. I maintain this focus for a couple seconds before another sense of disorientation arises and overwhelms me. I am focusing too much on what I’m used to: my sight; of which I am deprived. I’m so used to using my eyes that I forget I even have other senses.

After realising this, I decide to focus on my other senses. Which, after a little thought is the obvious thing to do. Though, when we are used to certain ways of doing things we can easily overlook the obvious.

So, now, I feel the ground through my shoes. Hear the surrounding noises and soft crickets singing. I smell the fresh air. I can even taste the saliva in my mouth. How different the world seems when you consider your other senses.

The path makes a particular crunching sound as my shoes land on the ground. A regular pattern of soft slow steps. I wouldn’t want to hurt myself by barging into some obstacle.

It’s a weird sensation to know there is no obstacle yet still be scared to hit something. Despite you telling yourself there is no obstacle  it takes a bit of persistence to overcome this instinctive fear. That fear never really disappears but stays in a corner of your mind, to keep you safe. It’s what I do about it that changes. I don’t let it stop me.

By paying more attention to my other senses, I can feel with my feet when I am at the edge of the path and correct my position without much effort. I can listen to the surrounding wildlife to give me my relative position. If a bird is on a branch chirping I can hear the noise moving, indicating that I am moving. I don’t have exceptional senses, and I rarely use them, but the feeling I got when realising I could use my senses quite accurately to orient myself was very interesting and reassuring.

Then I came to the lamppost.

With my eyes closes when approaching a source of light, I felt a fear. Like you get if you know some obstacle is coming. Though I know that the light is on the side of the path, I feel drawn to it. It is a distraction from my path. The first couple times I came to this lamppost I was distracted and was drawn to it. Then I was able to stop where I was. Assess the situation and keep on going walking the path. It took a bit of practice, but it is doable.

Every time now, that I start getting disorientated, I stop. I feel with my senses, assess my position, acknowledge the distraction and keep on trucking. It came to a point where I could confidently walk past the lamppost without deviating from my path.

I find this is a great metaphor for life. The path is our life’s path. We cannot see it. But we know it’s there. There is always fear and instinctual reactions to unknown situations that are rarely of any real danger. We often are distracted. But we can learn and practice staying focused and keep on trucking. I still have to deal with distractions every day, but I get better at doing it, the more I do it.

How does walking your path feel?