Today I did a wonderful, guided walking meditation. Essentially, it was like being in a computer game where I shot positive feelings at people I passed on my walk. It made me smile to think of positive-thought lasers hitting people rowing, walking, running and riding past me. 

I also realised that I often make judgements about people as I past them. Who I am I to judge? I am going to make a real effort to stop and focus on using my postive-thought laser. 

If I see you on my walk I may be shooting you full of positive feelings, just imagine swimming in "positive slime" like the closing scenes of Ghostbusters II. 

The meditation is part of a series of guided meditations on my favourite new app buddhify.  I am so grateful that I get to walk along the Yarra River most days. It is incredibly beautiful and sets me up for the working day ahead. 

Today I decided not to change to my second train and instead chose to walk to work from the city. I am fortunate that I can walk along Melbourne's Yarra River. In the morning the path is filled with joggers, runners, cyclists and walkers like me. There are rowers on the river and I love watching them glide along the water, their oars hardly making a splash.

I often cycle along this same track but walking is a different experience. I wrote the following haiku as I walked: 

On the river bank / warriors stand tall - mist rolls over the water

The flax growing on the banks reminded me of tall warriors and the rowers, of canoe that my brother rows on the mighty Waikato River in New Zealand. My brother was sent to live with my grandparents when he was 13. He has a much closer ties to the Maori side of my family than I do. My other siblings and I were raised by our pakeha (white) mother in the deep south of New Zealand. 

Since Robert went back to NZ ten years ago he has reconnected with his Maoritanga (Maori culture) and I admire him for that. It has made him a better person.

I don't get home-sick for NZ much now. I experience home-sickness more when I visit. My home is here but some times I hear it call me.... today was one of those days. 

Out and about walking I have been taking some photographs of flowers appearing in the gardens around Windsor. These photos are all taken on my new eyephone with HDR and zoom:

• orchid
• blossom

(download)

Click here to download:

walking-and-flowers-AyyhvACfGBIcDDkfFAAG.zip (5.06 MB)

Looking after your feet:

1. Mark on the calendar when you get your shoes and keep an eye on it. I find if I keep my shoes past their use-by date I am more prone to injuries.
2. Go and get them fitted properly because the type of foot you have determines the type of shoe that is right for you. I overpronate so I need lots of support however with orthotics my orthoses (inserts) I wear a neutral shoe.
3. Consider a visit to a podiatrist/orthotist if you seem to be getting lots of foot/leg injuries. You only have one pair of feet to last you a life time - it is important to look after them.

I am wearing an Asic runner at the moment but I have tried many others that I like. Working out the best shoe for you is a personal journey. As the photo above shows I work my shoes hard. Good runners make running easier or so I keep telling myself.