A friend gave me a book called The Energy Bus.  It is one of those self-help books, but it’s written as a story about a man that gets on the “Energy Bus” every day, and learns how negativity is destroying his life and how to rid himself of it.  One chapter of the book talks about the “Thankful Walk”.  When his day gets too stressful or he feels his thoughts slipping into the chasm of negativity, he is to get up and take a walk.  During his walk, he is to concentrate on nothing except positive thoughts and the things in his life that he has to be thankful for.  Many of us could use a thankful walk from time to time.  Just to shut out the world for a moment and think of nothing but our good fortune would be such a treat during the midst of a hectic day.

What if we are in a situation where we can’t just get up and walk away?  The man in the book learns how to mentally remove himself from a situation and take a walk in his mind.  Let’s try it. Stop whatever you are doing.  Close your eyes.  Picture your perfect peaceful place. What does it look like?  Now picture yourself walking in your peaceful place.  What do you hear? What do you smell? Allow the calmness of your peaceful place to wash over your face, your shoulders, your arms, your legs, even your feet.  Do you feel your body relaxing?  Is your mind clear?  Now, begin thinking of all of the things you have to be thankful for.  Do you see those things?  Now your peaceful place is beginning to fill up with the wonderful things in your life.  These are the things that make up your life, these are the things that keep us going long after we feel the strength to go on—not the hectic craziness of the day, those are just distractions.  Learn to walk away from the distractions and into a place that fills your spirit and renews your energy.  Learn how strong your mind is and that it will go where we lead it.  Walk this way for a stronger, more positive you!