Just “walk away”…OR walk towards

It matters were we walk.

This week, I was experiencing stress at the end of myself with Oakley’s attitude and a big bout of fussiness. For “no reason at all,” (in quotes because I can realize at a rational moment that he had reasons in his two year old head that I didn’t slow down enough to figure out…) Oaks was throwing a fit.

I wanted to throw one right back.

The impatience within me was heated and explosive (I’m not proud of my temper), and I almost let it out in anger. Instead, I walked away. I went upstairs to my room, a whole floor away, and took deep breaths while pacing and putting away shoes- putting all that hot energy to use!

Oaks yelled out to find me and I was able to answer him calmly, and then return downstairs to his presence. The frustration had melted away and I felt so relieved.

Walking away, steps up the stairs, gave me a victory over a flooding emotional moment. 

I took another victorious walk this week as well.

I wanted a snack. I most always want a snack in the quiet of the afternoon. I’m not usually hungry. I just want to snack.

I headed away from my computer and towards the cabinet of temptation and diet doom. Instead of reaching in, I had a mental check-in moment, slowed down my habit-driven hand, and used a short installment of self-will.

I walked away. I took a lap around the house the other way, grabbed some water, and sat back down.

Walking away gave me a victory over mindless eating. 

When I reflected on it later, I thought, “This is so good, this walking away…how else could I use ‘walking away’?”

Then, I realized walking away is not always great.

We should not walk away from commitments or people who need us.

Instead, I thought of all the important walks we take towards good things.

The walk down the aisle at my wedding to join my life to Drew, was a great “walk towards”. The walk of the civil rights activists in Selma towards justice was an epic “walk towards”. The walk towards my kids off the bus, instead of the waiting inside for them to come to me, gives them (especially Andi) the gift of me showing them I’m anxiously wanting them to be home, back here, walking towards me as I walk towards them.

So I’ll try to do more”walking away” when it saves a relationship from stress or stomach flab from extra calories. But I think right now, I’ll walk towards the bus stop and give a couple of kids a welcome home hug.