On May 10th I headed into Cochrane and over to my local garage “Back in the Saddle” to have a spring tune-up and the winter tires changed to summers on the Mazda 3. It was a beautiful day and after dropping the car off I decided to walk the 5 km back home. I picked up a coffee at A&W, then headed down to the old bridge and west along the Bow River pathway. I met a number of people walking, biking and enjoying the day.
After hiking for 30 minutes I saw a sign on the side of the path. It said “Benefits of Walking Meditation”. Underneath it had these headings: "Improves overall well-being, Alleviates depression, Stimulates blood flow and circulation and Improves digestion." Under each heading was a description of the specific benefits.
I thought what a great idea to post this information and continued on my way. About 200 metres further on I saw another sign. This one said “Mindfulness”: 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste." This made me think that we must be present in the moment and really experience the world around us. Another 200 metres further on I saw another sign: “Stretch Break." This one said: "Imagine you are a tree and root one foot into the earth. What other stretches do you know / need?"
As I continued walking I found more and more of these signs at the side of the pathway. They included “Find 5 Things”, “Breathing Break”, “Reconnect”, “Creativity”, “Positive Affirmations”, “Community Connections”, “Gratitude’ and “Self-Care”. In total there were 14 signs, the final one being “Mental Health Awareness Week Mindfulness Walk”.
This is a brilliant initiative supported by five organizations: FCSS (Cochrane Family and Community Support Services), Alberta Health Services (Community Helper Program), Family Resource Network (Cochrane and Area), The Town of Cochrane and Cochrane Cares (www.cochranecares.ca ). As I climbed Mitford Hill it got me thinking about the series of signs I had encountered along the pathway. Mental Health Awareness week was from May 6th to 12th; however, raising the awareness about Mental Health must be promoted over 52 weeks not just one.
Instead of having these signs up for just the week why not make them permanent all year round and create: “The Pathway to Mental Health – One Step at a Time."
When I got home I talked to Sue and she thought it was a great idea. Next stop, I sent an email to Major Genung, and we chatted this week. Stay tuned!
© 2024 Martin Parnell
