When my friend Maria asked where I would be going this morning I told her a walk to the statue of Padre Pio, a favorite saint in the region. I then added that I needed the exercise and the sun. However, for the most of my life I have engaged in daily walks for more than fresh air, cardiac health and muscle development. It is also my greatest time for contemplative prayer. To have as a destination Padre Pio was even more significant.
In learning about Padre Pio I knew he was not an instant favorite choice for sainthood, and many people challenged his candidacy. Yet, it seemed that what questioned was all the ways he varied from the “normal” person, Christian, Catholic. And variance from normal is exactly what distinguishes the named saints, they are extraordinary. And even a bit strange to some, one to be questioned. Exactly the kind of person to pray to in request for mediation when one feels a bit out of sorts. He worked with the poor, was a spiritual director, and was prone to seeing and experiencing the miracles of God…someone I want to be more like “when I grow up.” In times of discernment it is nice to pay him a visit.
So a walk up the mountain to visit Padre Pio and enjoy the beauty of God’s world while walking and praying is just a bit of heaven to me. Just as when I was in Seattle and walking Green Lake at dawn in any season. It is a total mind-body-soul experience. At mid-point in my walk one reflection was that I did not tell Maria that prayer is the main reason I walk, and that was neglectful on my part. When I arrived in town I saw my friend Teresina who also asked what I had been up to and I was sure to point out walking, PRAYING, and we both gave thanks to God for the place and beauty of Piegaro and our lives here.
Sharing the total experience of life always seems to key to exercise to me, how to incorporate mind, but more importantly spirit into physical activity. Today I also had the opportunity to swim at my friend Colleen’s, along with my friend Valentina. Now Valentina likes to sunbathe, and putz around in the water, but the only swimming she knows is how to doggy paddle. For years I have said that I swim like a cat, and my son describes my repeated laps as “mom trying to escape Alcatraz,” and really for years my swimming has been more about function than form. So it surprised me when Valentina asked me to show her how to swim, and for the past 3 days swimming together she has been learning rapidly.
As I slowly swam back and forth, very slowly because Valentina was watching carefully to copy, I reflected that the instructions for swimming I had learned from others while in my childhood that were universal truths. In order to stay afloat you need to stay calm, the more you struggle, the faster you sink. What a great metaphor for all of life, the need for tranquility of mind-body-soul IS essential, yet we are so often encouraged to race through life to “get ahead” all the while missing so much. Taking time to savor the moments, to refresh our bodies, indeed does feel our souls. As I reflected on my expertise of swimming, I realized how much my style and form and improved when I slowed down, how much easier it was to float and watch the sparrows flying overhead. How much every aspect of time in the pool improved. What was essential to this was having another person there to engage with, to talk with, to play with, and to share with. Someone to exchange questions, responses and stories, giving us both an opportunity to grow.
In being asked to teach, I was given the opportunity to learn. In the questions of others, there were answers for me. In asking Valentina questions I grew in awareness of how similar our lives are. In having the time to reflect while engaged in physical activity my soul had space to breathe easier and relax to open sweetly.
What kind of activities help you to relax?
How do you make time for wholeness of mind-body-spirit/soul?
What are the questions that spur deeper reflection for your life?
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