Little Steps of Calm

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“These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” – Najwa Zebian

Now that I’ve spent a dozen years practicing meditation and trying mindfulness, I find it interesting to take a look back at the time I spent mountain climbing. Because mountain climbing is kind of a mindless activity.

In a journey of 50,000 steps or so for a climb, you don’t necessarily want to remember each one. In fact, it might be a little painful if you did.

So while the endurance and grit is transferrable to life down low, perhaps the mindless moving forward is best left on the mountain. Speaking for myself that is. I don’t want to sleep walk through the days of my life.

This is just one of the many reasons that I love the warm and inviting conversation I had this week on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast with my co-host, Vicki Atkinson.

I think it’s fair to say that we all have times where life feels frenzied. And it isn’t only because our to-do lists get too long. It’s also because of the pace of the world around us, and our exposure to the news, in whatever way we consume it.

Both Vicki and I start the day with sacred time. It’s non-negotiable for me so that I can at least start the day with a measure of faith and perspective.

But we know that doesn’t work for everyone. So we talk about our tricks to instill some calm. Vicki tells us about how she sets aside multi-tasking to focus on one thing at a time. And more than that, how to slow tasks to reap the full benefit.

For me, music can help to disrupt the stress swirl. Tuning in to songs from my youth delivers a noticeable energy lift as well. We touch on the research of Harvard psychology professor Dr. Ellen Langer about how our brains can impact our bodies.

It’s not hard to imagine that Vicki is an inveterate smile-r. She shares a story about how offering friendliness to others brings a side benefit of joy.

I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 88: Meditative Moments with Wynne and Vicki

Episode 88 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Episode 79: Sometimes You Have to Laugh with Author Pete Springer – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

Remembering How to Bounce Back – Dr. Gerald Stein

Kindness all around us! – Brian Hannon

The Subtle Shaping of Our Brains – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

Meditate on this! – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

Write it Out – The Heart of the Matter (sharingtheheartofthematter.com)

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book: Surviving Sue

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

28 thoughts on “Little Steps of Calm”

  1. Little steps of calm… I love this! Yes, we achieve calmness and peace through the baby steps we take each day. It doesn’t necessarily have to be big impressive things, the small ones definitely add up to a more wholesome whole!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. So true. I definitely don’t want to sleep walk through life, nor do I wish to remember every step.

    No regerts, and all that.

    And yeah, it’s cool how I can use my mind to invite my body to relax, which in turn calms my mind. This is something I’m still learning to practice, when I remember.

    Wonderful podcast!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. so important to start a day with sacred time, whatever that translates into for each person. stepping mindlessly through a day, racing and not knowing and remembering the moments, leads to frustration and a weary spirit

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Loved the video where you mention, just taking the next step. We don’t always know how to do “everything” or have the full picture. Just slow down and focus on the next step. 😊 Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Yep, everyday seems like a circus! 🤹🏼‍♀️🎪🤹🏼‍♂️ Wynne, you and Vicki brought out some very vital points that we can relate to. That multitasking, that juggling, can take you out if you do not step back and take things one step, one thing at a time. Great episode ladies! Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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      1. My pleasure Wynne and don’t forget to go to your “Time Out” corner too. 😜 Honey, if we don’t, we’ll be walking around looking crazy! 🤪 Thanks for sharing such a relatable topic! 🙏🏼 Have a wonderful week! 😘💖🥰

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  9. One of the things one might consider about to-do lists is the realization that the list grows and grows, never allowing us to finish it. Perhaps the message is that we don’t have to. To paraphrase a well-known comment on last words, no one on his death bed ever says he should have completed his list. We can’t.

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  10. I loved this conversation and yes, so warm and receptive! 😊

    It’s funny you mention adopting other people’s monkeys. I was trying to enjoy your chat as my morning calm and T was climbing all over me trying to get my attention and insisted I watch him draw pictures instead. So I told him to buzz off. 😆 This is my calm and he can have time after.

    The music experiment is so interesting to think about. I think recalling the energy and joy of our youth can indeed be healing. When I was doing my masters of library science, I took a course entirely hosted on Second Life, an immersive virtual environment. And I met an 80-year-old woman who role plays as a 20-year-old figure skater in this immersive virtual world and she said it can be healing for her as she is homebound. So many interesting things to unpack!

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    1. Holy smokes, Ab – that’s amazing about the figure skater. How fascinating. Dr. Langer joked on the 10 Percent Happier podcast that I heard her on that she knows her science is hit the mainstream because they joked about it on the Simpsons. 🙂

      I’m laughing about T interrupting your calm. Oh, how I can relate… 🙂

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  11. Hi Wynne, I love the image, the quote, this wonderful conversation, and your video. I am new to you and Vickie, so thanks for including this snippet. These words are so timely: “I think it’s fair to say that we all have times where life feels frenzied. And it isn’t only because our to-do lists get too long. It’s also because of the pace of the world around us, and our exposure to the news, in whatever way we consume it.” Your topic of mountain climbing slightly ties into my prior post, the way my husband and I meditate and try to evade the stress of life: https://baydreamerwrites.com/2024/10/09/dreams-and-bucket-lists/ but I can’t imagine mountain climbing! Anyway, thanks for sharing your insight on life. 🥰

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