Yesterday I found myself stuck in Balerno for 3 hours with nothing to do.
Some readers may be immediately rebelling at my use of the word “stuck”, but I use it because that was how I felt. It had been a busy day so far, it wouldn't end until late, but between 4:15pm and 7:15pm I was left to my own devices. Not enough time to go home, nothing with me that I could work on. Stuck.
So I went for a walk along the water of Leith, because it's a pleasant walk and it would be a way to pass the time.
As soon as I was out of earshot of the traffic I considered using my phone – seeing whether any friends or family were free for a chat. No doubt if my phone was high tech enough to let me check my emails I would have considered that too. But my battery was getting low, so my phone stayed in my pocket. I should surely, I thought, just be able to walk for a while and enjoy the surroundings.
I then realised that I was storming along as if I was late for an appointment. So I made myself slow down. It took an effort of will at first: walk slowly, notice the cow parsley, notice how each flower head is made up of many tiny flowers, listen to the water, wonder what another plant is, listen to the birds.
But within about ten minutes it was as though my whole brain had changed gear. Taking in my surroundings was no longer an effort, it was coming naturally. I was ambling along, drinking in the leafy green light, the musical chuckling of the river, the bird cries and the occasional rustling and darting of startled wildlife hidden in the undergrowth.
I realised I was feeling better than I had in ages.
Which got me thinking about an article I'd read about the Greek Island of Ikaria.
Ikaria is one of the places in the world notable for its inhabitants longevity – and not just their longevity, but their quality of life into old age. Researchers looking at such places have come up with two common factors...
Some readers may be immediately rebelling at my use of the word “stuck”, but I use it because that was how I felt. It had been a busy day so far, it wouldn't end until late, but between 4:15pm and 7:15pm I was left to my own devices. Not enough time to go home, nothing with me that I could work on. Stuck.
So I went for a walk along the water of Leith, because it's a pleasant walk and it would be a way to pass the time.
As soon as I was out of earshot of the traffic I considered using my phone – seeing whether any friends or family were free for a chat. No doubt if my phone was high tech enough to let me check my emails I would have considered that too. But my battery was getting low, so my phone stayed in my pocket. I should surely, I thought, just be able to walk for a while and enjoy the surroundings.
I then realised that I was storming along as if I was late for an appointment. So I made myself slow down. It took an effort of will at first: walk slowly, notice the cow parsley, notice how each flower head is made up of many tiny flowers, listen to the water, wonder what another plant is, listen to the birds.
But within about ten minutes it was as though my whole brain had changed gear. Taking in my surroundings was no longer an effort, it was coming naturally. I was ambling along, drinking in the leafy green light, the musical chuckling of the river, the bird cries and the occasional rustling and darting of startled wildlife hidden in the undergrowth.
I realised I was feeling better than I had in ages.
Which got me thinking about an article I'd read about the Greek Island of Ikaria.
Ikaria is one of the places in the world notable for its inhabitants longevity – and not just their longevity, but their quality of life into old age. Researchers looking at such places have come up with two common factors...