Sal's ➶ ⋆˙⟡

Walking the kids to school

I’m dictating this into iA Writer on my phone as I head home after walking my kids to school.

Dropping my kids at school, let alone taking the extra ten minutes each way to walk them to school, often feels like a burden at first. “But I have to work!” I whine to myself.

I don’t really, though. Meetings can be moved. Work can wait. Meanwhile, as I rediscover once I’m out the door, walking with my kids is a great opportunity to slow down and be present with them. Or, if people aren’t feeling chatty, an opportunity to let our minds wander.

So much of the rest of the day is spent in get-stuff-done mode, trying to battle through life’s endless list of chores, or avoiding those chores by wasting time on devices. There are ways to not experience life this way, of course. I do practice mindfulness from time to time.[1]

But once the walk is is commenced, I find it’s much easier to settle into a healthier state of mind. As long as I’ve left the house on time, which, to be fair, takes some doing, there’s no need to rush. My kids can only walk so fast anyway.

I’ve now arrived back home and am touching up this post to publish. The walk has left me feeling at ease.

Maybe, in my most enlightened moments, I’ll look forward to walking my kids to school as a gift to enjoy rather than an obstacle to get through.

  1. I’m a fan of the Waking Up app, and I do believe it’s helped me. ↩︎