Keep Moving Forward - An Ecstatic Dance in Palisades Park

"If you can't fly, run. If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But by all means keep moving forward." - Martin Luther King

That quote resonated with me after spending an exhausting week driving over 1,000 miles roundtrip from San Diego to Northern California, sleeping exclusively in my Toyota Camry, and losing my Nikkon camera's memory card with all the pictures from my trip.

My disappointment was compiled by the fact that I wanted to make a video announcing the launch of my new blog (the one you're reading now), but felt my mood and energy was not camera-ready.

Furthermore, I had planned to do some hiking on this trip but, unfortunately found there were limited hiking trails in Redwood and Sequoia National Parks and a handful of them were closed due to the end of the parks' peak season.

On the final day of my trip, I stopped by Santa Monica.

I had already spent enough time feeling frustrated during my trip, and I was ready to put the whole experience behind me, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment.

However, an affirmation that I use whenever I'm feeling down or at a low point in my life, and reflected in the Martin Luther King quote above, is "Keep Moving Forward".

It is often these low points in our lives, where everything isn't going as smoothly as we'd like it to, and we can feel bogged down by the gravity of our situation. Often times, people just want to lock all the doors, draw the shades, and curl up in the fetal position.

It is in these situations that I encourage you to find a way to better yourself -- to Keep Moving Forward. That is why I find these low points as the best motivators to do something to level yourself up physically, mentally, or spiritually.

If You Can't Run, Dance!

Another great quote that I keep in mind from author, entrepreneur, and speaker, Tim Ferris, is "When you can't get out of your mind, get into your body."

Because I spent so much time driving during my trip, and not hiking, my body was craving some physical exercise. I wasn't really in the mood for it, but in hopes of making some type of state change and in the spirit of moving forward, I slipped on my Vibram Five Fingers and started my run through Palisades Park overlooking the beach.

When I first moved to California, I spent a lot of time running the paths in Palisades Park that ran parallel to the bustling bars and restaurants of Ocean Avenue and the rolling tide of the Pacific Ocean.

I started off on my run down the 1.5 mile stretch of the top of Ocean Avenue to the start of the Santa Monica Pier and having been behind the steering wheel of my car for the past 7 days, I felt it might not be my best run day, but I found my pace and stuck to it while I meandered down the scenic paths of Palisades Park.

After the first 20 minutes, starting and stopping a few times, I began feeling the aches and pains in my back and right ankle and became discouraged that I would not be getting a solid run in today and was ready to call it quits by the time I neared the Northernmost part of the park.

It was then that I had to make a decision, I could call it quits, no big deal, walk back to my car, maybe sulk a little more, grab a bite to eat, and drive back home having not even broken a sweat... OR I could make the most of my time and find something to do.

After circling back around, heading South again towards my car, I half jogged to a soft grassy spot overlooking the beach. With my new wireless headphones in, playing the latest feel-good tracks I downloaded to my iTunes, I set my phone and keys down next to a tree and began moving instinctively around in the soft grassy spot in the park.

I began dancing. I wouldn't call it an "ecstatic" dance, because I was still a bit in my own head, but I let the music move through me. It probably looked a little strange as I went from bouncy festival-type dance moves, to deep stretches in my legs, to sun salutations, but still fully feeling my body and owning my movement.

I bounced around and smiled, finding my rhythm as I listened to Gryffin and ODESZA, and gazing at the beautiful view of the Pacific in between steps. I bounced higher and built a sweat. My legs tired, but I kept pushing or transitioned to moves that worked and stretched different parts of my legs and body. I made the effort.

As I consciously engaged my quads, calves, and hamstrings in my dance, I thought to myself "I might not be ready to run today, but I'm moving forward."

It wasn't my best workout to-date, I didn't beat my personal best time running a mile, but I did something, and in doing so, I shook myself out of my funk and regained a better grasp on my life.

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This story may sound cliche to you, or if you're an athlete this may sound like someone who didn't feel like running and chose to dance it out on the beach instead. However, there are people who may feel mentally or physically stagnant and need to know there is a way out of it.

Of the many, many podcasts and audiobooks I listened to on my roadtrip up North, this inspirational story from an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast stayed with me. I hope my words or this person's story help inspire you in some way.

Citations:

Joe Rogan Experience Podcast - Episode #1166