July 31,2024
A beautiful, calm and refreshing sunset was the backdrop for my completion and celebration call for Regina’s July Walks! Thanks for your presence this month as I confirmed my passion for walking in Nature as a way to entice others to come outside to connect with Earth, Spirit, and Ourselves to evoke clarity, peace, balance, connection, and creativity! Stay tuned for August.
Celebration Call Transcript: July 31, 2024
I am Regina Reiter. and ForgivenessWalks! I wanted to welcomme you to my Program here tonight. I’m at Art Van Atta Park in Dayton, Ohio and this evening I am celebrating completing. and intention that I set to walk in Nature every day in July, 2024.
This morning, when I took a short walk here in this same Park, I thought, ” A fulfilling way to wrap up the month woudl be to come out at sunseton this day, walk in the park, and invite my community to join me!
I wanted to reflect on what developed for me about my walks and because of my walks and during my walks. I let this idea grow in myself that my purpose, my business, my job in this part of my life is to really a focus that has been growing in me for my whole life! That idea is that I love to entice others to come outside where we can connect to the Earth with our bodies, to Spirit with our souls, and with our minds and to really experience ourselves as a column of energy moving between Heaven and Earth.
This idea developed starting as a child walking with my parents in the parks in Dayton. It grew when I worked as an outdoor educator for several years. My love of sharing Nature with others grew even more during my college summers when I worked at a camp in Canada in a whole new biome! Then after college I joined the staff at an outdoor education center as a naturalist then program director! Sharing Nature with others became my favorite thing to do!
Walking the Appalachian Trail a couple of times and working at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park for nine seasons expanded my focus to even more natural areas and more people!
It’s a simple, yet powerful message – Come outside and connect! Now, I realize they have a really unique set of tools and processes that I like to use when I’m out to do this:
- Awaken our senses
- Charge our energy centers (which I call our Nonsenses!) and
- Use the Thirteen Steps to Radical Forgiveness process to clear away upsets and blocksAs I walked every day this month, I confirmed for myself that these are useful tools for me. As it turns out, they are useful for others too!So here are some of the things I discovered on my July walks. First of all, I admit that there were a few days that I didn’t want to get out. I reminded myself of my mom, who usually says she doesn’t want to go, yet she always thanks me for taking her when we get out there. I always was grateful, I had gone. Even though scrolling on my phone and being drawn into the political fray was mesmerizing, it was always better to get out the door and walk.
- I discovered that the tools I use to awaken my senses, charge my “nonsenses”, and clear my emotions with The 13 Steps to Radical Forgiveness were effective and powerful ways to feel better about my life and to get ideas, to clarify my priorities, and to connect with others.
- I discovered that with my phone, good connectivity, and unlimited data I can actually do work while walking because I can connect with others. I can make calls, respond to messages, and record ideas to process later. That was very exciting, empowering, and validating as I allowed myself to use my phone while on a trail.During the month, I found that stating an intention and sharing it with my community empowered the idea and gave me accountability and a reason to get out there every day and share. That shared intention really kept me going.Persisting, sharing, and stating my intention to others were very powerful aspects of the project.
- I discovered that Nature provided metaphors, and significance to many ideas through the phenomena that I saw. My observations inspired me to use language in a particular form I know as a cinquaine. Using this form, which limits my words to five lines, each with a certain number of words, helped me express the essence of what I was observing and experiencing.Walking got my body involved. Often, I started my walks very slowly, convinced that I didn’t have the energy that day, even though I was still willing to be outside. I would at least connect to Nature. I didn’t set a distance goal or even judge myself for feeling sluggish. However, what I discovered is that, as I walked, my breathing regulated and my energy increased, and I felt physically better and better by walking. After twenty or thirty minutes of walking, my pace had picked up and I felt good!Whenever I met a hill, I used my technique to easily climb the mountains. By the way, if you haven’t learned Regina’s Meet the Mountain technique, you definitely need to get in touch with me so that you can get that. This technique regulated my body and always makes me feel really good in my body, and in my heart and mind as well.
I made even more discoveries! Specifically, I found out that the trail where I walked as a child with my parents at the Taylorsville Metro Park is a really good facsimile of the general terrain of the Appalachian Trail. Arising from this realization came the idea, “Wouldn’t it be cool if women came to Taylorsville Park to train? They could stay with me in my apartment because I have an extra room!” I shared that idea with my community and a woman immediately responded that yes, she would like to do that! And now, she’s working with me to craft her own fulfilling walk.
- Call you in to consider. Walking in nature as something that’s essential for you. And, Consider me as somebody who can. Give you techniques for that. Support you in making each step easy. And being your virtual or real life companion. Walking in nature. I want to keep doing this more and more, so going forward.I have so many ideas for how this could be done. So I want to come up with another intention for August which could be as simple as continuing to walk every day and let you know about it. But Here we are. This video is just going to people in a Facebook group that you’re a member of.
So I want to invite you to start posting in the group. When you walk in nature, what happened and how it was for you, we can get that conversation going and I can suggest and offer techniques considerations things about gear, things about planning. Suggestion of where to go next and mostly to Promote the idea that each step can be easy.
That’s one of the biggest mottos that I have and forgiveness walks. Women. We’ve done enough hard things in our lives and now We can do the easy thing to of connecting with nature and making that what keeps us going and keeps us focused. And that doesn’t have to be a hard thing.
Let’s see what else? You’re so grateful for this month that I dedicated to Walking every day. Each day was so precious. And Several times I went and ventured to a new park. I met a new friend near Cincinnati, and she introduced me to a new new park. And Gave me, you know, I found out we could collaborate because we actually do something the same thing.
One day, I met a woman I’d never met before the end of one of my walks and we’ve scheduled to meet on purpose and walk in a park that I’m not familiar with. And what else? Not going to the Appalachian. Trail reminded me that I’m right here on the Buckeye Trail in Ohio.
So I ventured off for an overnight. On a little section of the Buckeye trail. Near a state park, where I camped, and then I walked in the evening, and in the morning, You know, beautiful. So this walking every day, inspired me to Love my two usual Parks plus venture out to other ones and again, making it easy make me delightful.
I really loved walking on the taylorsvile Metro Park Trail. That reminds me of the Appalachian Trail with my backpack, my fully loaded. Because then I really felt like I was on the pretend Appalachian Trail.
Yeah. It was interesting to have this intention. And some days, the feel resistance and slowness, but always feel revive. The other days are really crave. Getting out into nature. But look interesting to experience well ups and down. Let’s see what else?
Picked up, I want to celebrate. That intention. Is now complete. One has pretty much gone down and go out of my shelter house. I’m sitting at a picnic table so that I could have my notebook. And remember, all the things I wanted to share with you, but Let’s see.
I’m just gonna do it like this.
It’s done. And there is pretty cool. When it’s going down. And I think I’ll wrap up. Video now and thank you for watching and I want to end with first of all, repeat that invitation for you to Start to post in our group. About your walks. Like what are you thinking?
What are you intending? And what have you done? Even if you go for a walk? One day. Let’s hear about it. Start a conversation. Let me finish with. Quote from John Muir.
then
I only went out for a walk. then concluded
to stay out till sundown,
for going out, I found, was really going in
Thanks So much for Being present for me in our group to fulfill this intention of daily walks in July. your comments are great. Really get involved in the conversation with me. And, Thanks for being here to inspire me and help me express this Purpose for myself, as I step into my 71st year and live even more intentionally.
Good night and goodbye. I love you. Thanks for being here.