The Practice of Walking on the Earth

The Spiritual Practice for this week is “Groundedness,” or literally, the practice of walking on the Earth. In her book, An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor writes of the things we could notice and the ways that we could grow if we took the time to slowly walk through the world, paying more attention to the journey than the destination.

She describes the way that most of us walk, hurriedly, probably either looking down at our phones or talking on them pressed against our ears, but most certainly with a destination in mind. We rarely, if ever, walk just for the purpose of walking—even if we are walking for exercise, we are walking in order to reach a goal. Taylor contrasts this to the way that a young child walks, noticing every coin, every sound, walking at a slower pace simply because they aren’t as expert at walking as the adult pulling them by the hand. She then moves on to describe the way that Jesus moved through the world, which was also by walking. Walking gave Jesus the opportunity to move slowly and interact with people, which is most likely why He chose to walk rather than ride. Even though He knew his time on Earth was limited, Jesus still made a conscious decision to take time and move slowly through life.

Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone would describe my movement through life as slow. Whether I’m walking, driving, or even talking, I do most things in a hurry. I guess my pace is driven by my desire to pack more things in, but I wonder if the packing is causing me to miss details I would otherwise notice if I moved more slowly. I’m pretty sure I know the answer. Moving more slowly might cause me to experience a lesser number of things, but in turn may give me more full experiences.

The practice in which Barbara Brown Taylor invites readers to participate is the actual practice of walking on the earth, specifically, walking barefoot. She suggests that we remove our shoes, go outdoors, and really feel the earth beneath us. “It will help if you don not expect God to speak to you,” she writes. “Just give your full attention to where you are for once.” If you walk in a circle, notice what changes each time you make the loop, taking full advantage of all of your senses. Take in the smells, the sights, feel the warmth or the breeze along with grass or pine needles under your feet.

Taylor writes, “As long as you are on the earth and you know it, you are where you are supposed to be. You have everything you need to ground yourself in God.”  As we choose to take this journey to nowhere, may we use this time to wake ourselves to what can happen in a slow, steady walk. Every walk we take will have its own unique sights, sounds, feelings, and even its own message that God may want for us to take—its up to us to walk in a way in which we are open to discovery. My prayer for myself this week is that I walk with slower steps, and by doing so that I take in even just a little more of what I miss in my hurried state.