Coasting Uphill

On a hilly walk this morning, I found myself traversing hill and dale, while enjoying the feel of coasting when walking downhill. I looked forward to those stretches where I could relax and enjoy the breeze. It was almost like shifting my inner gear to neutral and just letting myself go. It was easy, effortless and even more importantly, I enjoyed it.

As I approached the next hill to climb up ahead, I thought I would play with the concept of coasting uphill. I know my mind is powerful in creating experiences, so why not this one?

When I reached the point where the ground changed from level to an ascent, I held on to a feeling of lightness. Yes, my legs worked more that they did on the level or downhill coasting, but somehow my mind maintained the ease of a coast.

The breeze that I felt when coasting downhill, was still present. The sky was the same beautiful blue. All that changed was the level of the earth beneath my feet. My sense of lightness and ease was the same in my uphill coast as it was in the downhill coast.

I was thrilled with my little experiment as I reached the peak and found myself not depleted. In fact, I was energized knowing that I can duplicate uphill coasting in my life. Why not face the things I dread with the same perspective? I know I will eventually accomplish it, so why not just coast?

My personal, self directed assignment (feel free to join me) is to allow myself to do what needs to be done, knowing I will complete it and allowing it to feel like coasting. Will this task require some conscious remembering? Yes! Will it require more physical energy, time, commitment than the down hill tasks that I do every day? Maybe....perhaps when I master coasting uphill, I will accomplish more with less effort because I enjoy it more.