Mindful Miles

The walk home from school today started with a negotiation: “Mum,” my older daughter asked, all casual, “can we take our bikes to school sometimes?” Before I could answer, she quickly added, “Oh, you don’t need to answer now, just think about it!””

Sure, honey! It’s fine if you want to take your bikes!” I replied.

A flash image immediately popped into my mind: me, running at a full sprint to keep up, lungs burning, chasing two tiny cyclists all the way home. Panic! Then, a soothing wave: Oh, don’t fret, I told myself, that’s a problem for another day.

With that small panic neatly shelved, I spent the next five minutes quietly studying our current three-person pace. It was a beautiful, chaotic mess.

There was my older daughter, leading the charge with a perfectly steady, sensible stride. Then came my younger daughter, a restless soul who had clearly inherited my dad’s (and my own!) bouncy springs in her steps. She’d walk for a minute, then bolt for five, her feet barely kissing the ground. I thought, one day, she will fly!

But today, she was on the ground—and right behind her sister. The result? Little Roti would constantly bump into the steady leader, and I, being a fellow spring-stepper, would inevitably bump into both of them. We looked less like a family walking and more like a poorly organized, bumping train.

“Okay!” I finally blurted to my older daughter, halting the procession. “New plan. Roti, you take the lead! Then you follow, and I will give some space behind you both.”

And just like that, the chaos vanished. The restless sprinter could bolt ahead, the steady walker could keep her rhythm, and I, the happy caboose, had a perfect view of my girls finding their flow. We were all comfortable, walking at our own natural pace.

With a deep sigh of relief, I thought, That’s a problem for today, solved today.

It was a simple, lovely reminder: whether in our walking path or our life path, sometimes the fastest way to peace isn’t forcing a single speed. It’s simply rearranging the order so everyone is free to move at the pace that feels most natural.