This morning, I went on my Sunday coffee walk. Unlike other mornings, I left my headphones at home. No music. No podcasts. I just listened to the world around me. I walked much slower than normal, so that each step was a gentle kiss on the earth below me, and I counted my steps for each breath in and each breath out.
At one point on my walk, I heard a little sound. I thought maybe it was a squirrel. I stopped walking and looked up, and hanging upside-down above me was a woodpecker! I just stood there for a few moments and watched as they moved and tapped against the branch. It was lovely, and I would’ve missed out on that experience had I been listening to a podcast.