WILD CHILD: Slowing Down

Have you ever taken a toddler walk? You don’t need to be a toddler, but toddlers are masters of this magical experience which encourages mindfulness (being in the moment) and a sense of tranquility.

There are many types of walks. The walk through the mall quickly with a goal in mind. The taking the dog out to get some exercise walk. The quiet stroll with an adult friend. But the most fun, is the toddler walk.

A toddler walk is slow. It notices each rock, stone, and twig. It stops to inspect the snail, then goes back to see the stone again. It is filled with sharing, you will hear “look” and “what is it?” as you are drawn into seeing the world through their eyes. It is filled with a sense of wonder and discovery and joy. It involves collecting things you never realized were precious, like a blade of grass or a tiny stone.

Each toddler walk is different, but the one thing that every toddler walk needs is time. The time to go slow, to go back to the start, to sit and look closely. Time not to rush but to enjoy the now without a goal in mind.

Best of all you don’t need to be a toddler to enjoy a toddler walk, older children, teens, and even adults enjoy and benefit from the slow, in the moment mindfulness of noticing and exploring if you can encourage them to slow down.

This weekend see if you can spend some time enjoying a slow, mindful exploration of a natural space nearby.

If you don’t have a toddler to help you, try these tips:

• try to notice something you haven’t noticed before, then stop and look at at and all around.

• take some time to sit on a rock or tree stump and watch and listen and notice

• try to notice with all your senses: what do you hear? what do you smell? what do you feel? etc

• ask questions. How did that get here? Why is it that colour?

Happy exploring!