Peace, Permission, Perspective  

I did it! Finished at 20:35, awaiting a welcome pick-up from The Hub after my 2nd 12-Hour Walk!
Peace, Permission, Perspective  
On the Nightstand
Hidden insights video
In Case You Missed It  
 
Peace, Permission, Perspective
With a full day event cancelled at the last minute – leaving me with an empty calendar – I awoke with an idea… 
Today would be the day to do my 2nd 12-Hour Unplugged Walk! 
I gathered up what I anticipated needing for the day (and evening) ahead: food, water, fresh socks, notebook, various types of clothing, etc. I wanted to start this walk from the general area I finished last time, so I took the electric scooter and made the chilly 30-minute ride to my son’s home and started from there at 8:30 on the nose.
Last time, I was so nervous about spending 12 hours unplugged. 12 hours with just my own thoughts. 12 hours walking. 12 hours so out of my regular life. But this year, I was excited. I didn’t know what would unfold, but I knew it would be great.
Did I miss being connected? Did I miss checking things with Google Lens? Did I miss knowing what kind of birds I was passing with Merlin? Did I miss Wordle, Duolingo, and scrolling? Did I miss taking photos? Did I miss knowing the temperature, the time, the tide level? 
Maybe just the tiniest bit. I did notice their absence, I noticed the habit that was calling me – there was an awareness – but not a true ‘miss’.
Based on my experience from last year, I made some changes. I realized that every time I touched my phone (even if it was just to take a pic), it took me out of the present. This year, I set my Strava to record my mileage, put it on airplane mode, and tucked it deep into my bag.
So what happened? 
Well, aside from bringing back memories of my nursing days (the 8-12 hour foot ache)…
Compliments were passed out. 
Positive chalk messages were left on sidewalks. 
A stranger shared their pizza with me. 
Songs were sung. 
Thoughts wandered. 
Climbs were made. 
Feet went into the ocean. 
Flowers were smelled – so many beautiful spring flowers. 
There was walking and resting, a little nap on the beach, strolling and exploring. 
The sun was watched rising, moving across the sky, and setting on the other side. 
The tide went all the way out – and all the way back in. 
Layers came off as it warmed and went back on as it cooled. 
Birds were listened to, along with the crunch beneath each step. 
Pine, fresh-cut grass, and ocean air filled the senses. 
Trees, moss, sand, and rock were all touched. 
Otters, deer, and an eagle appeared. Lovers, friends, swimmers, runners, bikers… and lots of geckos!
I literally walked through the day and watched it pass before my eyes. By the end of the walk, darkness had set in and three words stood strong in my mind:
Peace – Nowhere to be, nobody to respond to, no expectations of me, no deadlines. Just peace.
Permission – To turn left or right or go straight, to move at whatever pace I wanted, to pause, to rest, to eat what and when I wanted, to listen to my body and my mind, to just be.
Perspective – From this slowed pace, to notice things I would usually speed by in a car or on my bike, to savour, to linger, to enjoy.
The difference between this walk and my last one… 

12 hours vs 12.5 hours 
36 km (22 miles) vs 42 km (26 miles)
took no photos vs took lots of photos
took notes in a notebook vs took notes on my phone

Different walk, different experience, different takeaways this year, I enjoyed every minute and hope to do another one next year.  
Are you…
Feeling rushed? Disconnected? Always “on”?
Twelve hours may not be necessary.
But perhaps a little more peace, permission, and perspective is (check out the coincidental tie-in with On the Nightstand, below!).
For some hidden insight, check out the short, fun video about this adventure, featuring my friend (and fellow Hall of Fame speaker), Michelle Cederberg. She’s thinking of doing the walk, I think that’s why she looks a little scared.  
***
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us – by Ed Yong
A cool exploration of how every creature lives in its own sensory reality – hearing, seeing, and feeling things most humans will never detect.
There are “songs” happening all around us – vibrations, signals, communications between animals – completely invisible to human awareness. Courting bugs, leafhoppers, creatures calling to one another in ways that simply don’t register.
The concept he introduces is Umwelt – a German word meaning an organism’s unique sensory world.
Same environment.Different experience.
Which raises a quietly powerful thought…
What if the world being experienced… isn’t the world, but just a world?
Maybe what feels overwhelming, frustrating, or even “true” in one moment… is just one version of reality.
And maybe – just maybe – there are other ways of seeing, sensing, and experiencing the very same world.
Perspective, indeed.