Today I pushed myself a little bit outside my comfort zone.
I went for a walk.
That doesn’t sound like a big deal, does it? And honestly, it wasn’t. But at the same time, it was. Sometimes the smallest steps are the hardest ones to take.
A day ago, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I would have found a reason to stay home, to put it off until tomorrow. But today I put on my shoes, walked out the door, and went.
I liked it.
More importantly, I did more than I could have done yesterday.
I’m slowly learning that I need to celebrate these small victories. Not every achievement has to be huge. Sometimes success is simply doing the thing you didn’t feel like doing.
And there was an extra bonus waiting for me along the way.
I love lilacs.
We don’t have any growing on our property yet, so I deliberately chose a route where lilac bushes line the road. It was absolutely lovely. The flowers were in bloom, and their scent filled the air.
There is something magical about lilacs. Their fragrance instantly slows me down and makes me notice the moment I’m in. For a little while, I wasn’t thinking about work, house renovations, endless to-do lists, or all the things that still need to be done.
I was just walking and enjoying the smell of lilacs.
A small walk. A small victory. A lovely reminder that sometimes good things are waiting just outside the front door.
Ilze
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This is wonderful for you, Ilze!! I’m glad you made this short journey. Lovely flowers1, the road looks like it could be in Michigan. ❤️
🙂 Thank you!
I love lilacs as well! That first step is always the hardest but I’m so glad you did!
Thank you 🙂
Have just read your words and come along on your walk – both to be with you and to smell the lilacs which I absolutely love also . . . I hope you feel you want to smell them again . . . and know how to do so whilst they are still blooming . . .
Lilacs got me spanked, and how, when I was about five or so. My Mom’s birthday was mid-winter on 30th December. Traditionally Dad bought her a HUGE (ceiling height) pot of flowering ones as a present – so, the year I remember. Well, on the spur of the moment, we all were invited for afternoon coffee for another and rather important birthday, and it being holidays, Mom and Dad did not have a present to take . . . so agreed to resend that year’s tree > I thought that was absolutely and totally unfair, but absolutely horrid (!!!) . . . so, guess what > we walked in, the lady gushed her thank you’s and I burst out in front of a room-full of people that she was taking my Mom’s birthday flowers away from her and was a horrible, horrible person 😉 !!! Oh – I had a sore bottom on getting back home I remember to this day 🙂 !!!
Eha, I absolutely love this story! 😊 I can just picture little you standing up in a room full of adults, defending your mother’s lilacs. Five-year-old logic can be wonderfully direct. I imagine your parents were mortified at the time, but it makes for a fantastic memory now. And yes, I think I may have to go and smell the lilacs again before their season is over.
Did you ever tell your mother later that you were only trying to protect her birthday present?
Absolutely! A small walk is better than no walk.
Thank you! Do you walk often?
Yes I do.
What is the usual length of the walk?
Good job. I need to do that. Those lilacs are beautiful and I can only imagine how wonderful they smelled.
Thank you, Mags. They smelled even better than they looked. One of the things I love about lilacs is that their blooming season is so short—it makes you appreciate them more when they arrive.
Is there a flower or plant whose scent instantly takes you to a happy place?
I love the scent of gardenias. I had one years ago that I have never forgotten the wonderful aroma that came from it as I rounded the corner of the house where it was.
Lovely. We have barberry growing on our property. When it blooms, the smell is quite awful—or at least that’s what I thought the first time I noticed it. Now, every early summer when the barberry flowers, that familiar scent makes me feel at home. ❤️
That first step stops you slipping back. Lovely photographs too
Thank you, Derrick. That’s exactly how it felt. Once I was out the door, the hardest part was already behind me. The walk itself was easy.
Do you have a favorite place to walk when you need to clear your head?
Good for you to take that walk, Ilze. Oooo, and I also love lilacs. Lovely.
Thank you, Mary. It was a small thing, but sometimes the small things turn out to be the important ones. And it seems lilacs have quite a fan club here in the comments! 😊
Do lilacs grow where you live, or is there another spring flower you look forward to each year?
Lilacs are a great little treat to celebrate your walk 🙂