It's The Rocks At Your Feet.

One Step at a Time: Lessons from the Scottish Highlands
When we look too far ahead, our minds get cluttered with worries; when we look too far inward, we over-analyze every little ache - convincing ourselves of physical torture, past regrets, or possible outcomes. Join me for a conversational reflection on a 45-mile hike through the Scottish Highlands with my son. We’ll explore how navigating a boulder field taught me the power of focusing entirely on the step right in front of you. Includes a gentle, grounding breathing exercise to help calm your thoughts.
Please enjoy this nearly as much as I did on an adventure with my son.

Transcript

Are you comfortable? Then we'll begin. So last week. . . Arrived home after a few weeks of being away. My son was desperate to get away into the hills. So we quickly packed all our gear, Three days of food and then drove up to the highlands and then started walking. Aye, Some folk might not think it was a big walk but was it 19 miles the first day? 30 kilometers. Aye, It's eh, We're sleeping bags in tents and three days of food and ample clothes so we don't get cold, Especially with the weather report it's going to be howling gales and aye, Torrential rain, But it didn't stop us smiling. Aye, But here's the point I'm trying to make is. . . When we're walking, Especially the first day's walking, Well, The first day's walking was 19 miles. The second day it was 15km. My maths is rubbish. Aye, It's a few miles. And then the next day it was 20-odd km. So I think in total it was 45 miles or something like that over the three days. We planned to stay in two bothies but one of the bothies was really busy and we decided to sleep in our tent, Find a wee Find a wee ditch and we found some shelter so the wind that night wasnae too bad. It actually woke me up at half past one. In the morning. Went out and checked the guy lines and the pegs and in fact had a look about to see if there was somewhere better especially because the wind wasn't that bad when we fell asleep but it started ramping up. I did get back to sleep after about an hour lying awake worried that we'd maybe made the wrong decision where we pitched the tent but half past six I woke up The wind was howling. My son was ready to pack up. Start the big walk back into Civilization. TURN THE WALL I was trying to stay present. Aye. I wasn't trying to teach myself things, But I was starting to become aware of things when it was happening. And that was the whole point of me just blethering away here for the last three minutes. All right, Let me see. It was on the first day it was full it was like following a big land over track for the first two thirds it was like the first 20 kilometers There's like pure Land Rover track looking up the glen Watching the valley get tighter and tighter. That if I'll get a narrower and narrower. And the rain got heavier and heavier. Aye, I did get rained on aye, But it was grand. I just love walking with my hood up, Just feeling the rain. You've got a good waterproof jacket on and good pair of waterproof shoes. It's, You know, Your skin's waterproof. Even if it does, If they get wet. September in Scotland isnae, Isnae the most harshest weathers? The rain's not that cold. It's actually really enjoyable, Actually just walking in the rain. But that walking in the rain could be another meditation. This meditation is about When you're walking up the glen on a Land Rover track and you're constantly looking ahead of you. You're constantly looking ahead. But then on the last day. . . We had to cross a big boulder field. It was a pass, Charlemagne, Gap or Dalarigrou. Is the. Mainly known as it's a big boulder field all the scree came down into this valley so and you've got to hike out this big boulder field you can't you can't look up the glen and just like follow your nose like you've done the last the last couple of days you've actually got to concentrate on where you're putting each foot And after like a couple of years. . . Looked at my son, He looked at me and went, This is great fun, Eh? I was really enjoying myself. By that time my legs were pretty sore eh, But I was still really enjoying it. It's that realisation where. . . The first day I was looking up the Glen and just like wondering when we're going to get to the Bothy and hopefully there wasn't going to be anybody in the Bothy. Well, There was going to be people in the Bothy that you could actually enjoy the night with, But there wasn't going to be packed out that you had to pitch your tent outside in the rain. That's a worry, You know, And that just constantly. . . Have we planned enough? Did we leave enough time? Did we leave early enough? All them things are constantly running through your head. My son's 22 and he's a big man now, Well a big boy, But you're constantly going, Is this the right decision? Is he going to enjoy this? Is this going to put him off camping? Go and walk and will he want to come and walk? Again. When we're climbing up the boulder field. You're no. . . Worried about the future. You're not worried about the past. Avyei Anov. You're not worried a bit? Like, Your jacket, Is it waterproof enough? All you're interested in is one foot in front of the other. I didn't Another thing is when you're walking when you're walking up a land over track you can get internal as well but sometimes that You can get too focused there, You're like, Oh that wee hotspot, Am I getting a blister on my foot? Oh, That niggle on my knee? Oh, Is that my ligament? Oh no. And then before you know it, It just. . . You're too focused. So you can really enjoy it. And it's finding, Climbing over the boulder field. It was that happy mediumware. Your end moment. You're not completely internal, Worried about if your body's going to make it. You know worried at all. All you're trying to do is just get them to make sure that your foot's steady on the next rock. And that, For me, Was a lesson in life. I know after 50-odd years, Right? Lemon lessons, Doesn't it happen every day? And sometimes it might sound like you haven't learned a lesson that walk it just sounds like I'm trying to make it up for a meditation but I'm not. It's actually. . . It was just amazing just realising that. I was living in the moment on that third day. I think I've mumbled enough here, So. . . We'll just do a couple of breathing techniques, Eh? Well, Just one breathing technique. We're just gonna do. . . Take a big breath in. And then just ease it out. Nothing too fancy, Just gonna take, Say, Five big breaths in. And breathe it out, There's two. You don't need me to count for you. The five prayers. Just help. Calm the thoughts. You've probably noticed my speech has slowed down a wee bit. I'm not as nervous anymore talking in a microphone. The excitement, The reliving. Did last week's walk. That's in there either. Creaky it was some walkie honestly just we walked up one glen a Gwent tilt. Through a pastor red house both in a career and then you're underneath the Cairngorm Hills and underneath the plateau. Ben Macduigh is like high above the ridge. The big eye looking up and then you've got the devil's point. On the left hand side. It's just, Honestly, It's just incredible. Big scree fields. There wasn't much wildlife. The old buzzer. A few crows, We saw a couple of deer, Saw a few frogs and stuff. Aye, The midges were out tae, Like, But. . . We don't dwell on the struggles with the Majlis. With real. And be fortunate enough to get into these wild places. My son said that he really enjoyed the fact that within an hour of walking up to Glen he had no phone reception. He spent three days no looking at his phone. That's a lie. The two of us were taking loads of photographs and he was taking loads of footage for his his Instagram profile and stuff, Aye. I can't lie, I was doing the same myself. My favourite breathing technique is. . . Just take a big long slow breath in. Pause. And then ease, Ease the breath out. Slow the breath out. As well. Is all your Adam holding back? But not trying to make it uncomfortable. Thing if described as. Try to lease your breath out and there's a candle in front of you. We're not trying to blow the candle out. Right, Take another big breath in. Pause. And then he's. . . For taking their time. If you try and run up that hill you're never going to make it all the way to the top. If you take it slow and steady. You're going to get to this so much. You're going to get a grand view. Big breath in. Pause. And breathe out. Extend that breath out. Empty along. And then pause. And take a big breath in. And then breathe out. It's up to you, You can continue this breath, Breath work, Big breaths, Pausing. And a slow release or you can just. . . It's only a normal bear. Just try and know you dwell in any thoughts. Try to be like the water we saw in the waterfall. Doesn't stay stationary, It just passes by. Thank you. You I think that's enough breathing there. It's not enough breathing. We've got to continuously breathe. But it's enough exercises, Eh? If I'd be mumbo long enough and in the bargain. Right. Same as always. Sometimes we need a wee reminder of how amazing we are, Eh? Count our blessings. Reflect. And all the good things. Our life. I don't know what you said. The only time to reflect is when you're in the hills. In those struggles. I'm saying even in a struggle. Reflect. I know good things. You are amazing. Honestly, Yeah, Brilliant. Thanks for joining me. Hope you've enjoyed me mumbling away. Please enjoy your day.