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I am a lover of all things fall. I love pumpkin spice, jeans, boots, and the crispness in the air. Mostly though I LOVE fall foliage in New England. The colors are breathtaking and the child in me loves to crunch around in the fallen leaves. Getting out for a walk in nature during the fall has immense restorative powers for my mental health.

Regardless of the season, a second powerful force in maintaining my emotional well-being is getting some exercise. I am definitely not someone who puts hours in at the gym, but I do commit to a “power walk” several days a week. I will use the treadmill if necessary, but my preference is to get outside.

It was during one of these outdoor walks this week that I had a moment of clarity around a mindfulness concept I am very familiar with. The moment came while walking up a fairly steep hill near home.

As I walked up the hill, I was focused on maintaining my pace. I was focused on being a bit out of breath. I was focused on being a bit sweaty. I was focused on how much further I had to go.

Then I looked up. I was surrounded by beautiful fall foliage lining my path. I had been so focused on the difficulty of the hill and the other less pleasant aspects of my exercise, that I forgot about the beauty around me.

This is more than an isolated incident for me. I have spent a lot of time too focused on a goal, or a difficult situation to be mindful of the full picture. It is easy to allow the negative components to overwhelm our awareness. Yet despite our mental filter, there is always beauty around us. Even if it isn’t always as obvious as the fall leaves.

This filter is often put into place early in our lives. For me, it developed in my school years. I would be so absorbed in my goal of getting into a “good” college that the hard work often overshadowed the fun times.

As a parent, I have also struggled to shift my focus away from successfully reaching next milestones to the joy of each stage. Every stage has had its pitfalls, but I have become much more mindful of the joys…usually.

There is a balance to be had and it is not an easy one. When we are walking up a hill, both literally and metaphorically, we need to maintain focus. We don’t want to accidentally slow our pace to the point that our goals can’t be reached. At the same time, we need to observe the joys of the here and now. They are always there, even when they seem small in comparison.

I am definitely going through some difficult life changes right now. I need to keep pushing through and sometimes it only feels like an uphill battle. Then I hear my kids laugh downstairs while I am busy with paperwork, or I see the leaves as I walk up a hill. I am thankful when I remember to be mindful of that beauty.

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