Uitwaaien (verb, Dutch)
To take a break and walk away from the demands of life to clear one’s head.
(Definition from Other Wordly: Words both Strange and Lovely from Around the World by Yee-Lum Mak)
It’s lovely to know there is a word for the power of taking a walk outside. Uitwaaien is a Dutch word that means to walk outside. Many sources add that it’s not just walking outside. It’s walking in the wind to let the wind blow through and refresh mind and soul.
A mind-clearing walk has power. It doesn’t have to be long or far. This week had our first snowfall of the winter season. Between the snow and the ice hidden under the autumn leaves that fell after the snow, I didn’t get my usual walks this week. One afternoon after, I realized I had just twenty minutes before I needed to jump in the car with one of my kids. I went for a short walk around the block. It wasn’t my standard two to three miles, and it hardly seemed worth the effort. I realize now it was a Uitwaaien. It was short and crisp; a breeze cleared my head.
I can’t think of any equivalent word in English, but I think it’s what Anne Lamont was getting at when she said.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
― Anne Lamott
A short uitwaaien can be a simple way to restart, reset and revive. This feels like a vital invitation as we approach the colder months of winter and the busy holidays. When the days are shorter and colder, I find it harder to get outside, but instead of thinking I have to be out for 60 minutes, I could learn from the Dutch and uitwaaien.
The animating energy of uitwaaien is the restorative power of the wind (or just a light breeze) which can, if we let it, blow out the cobwebs of distractions, frustration, and negative angst that can set in at any time. I love that the Dutch language and people value the power of walk and wind so much to have a word that embraces and celebrates these two smaller, yet deeper powerful forces, available to almost all of us, most of the time.
A Uitwaaien Blessing:
When, in the course of your day, you find frustration, anxiety, and distraction pressing in, may you uitwaaien.
Invite the fresh air to revive your spirit.
Believe the wind or gentle breeze has the power to blow through body, mind, and soul to refresh and restore.
As you walk around where you live, may your place, streets, and trees recalibrate you to do the work you must do.
May you be reminded of the healing, refreshing, repowering wind outside your door.
(This is an interesting article about the meaning and history of the word.)
Uitwaaien! (As they say, no bad weather, just bad clothing!)
We are approaching Advent in the Christian tradition. (It begins on November 27th this year) I always enjoy marking the season with an Advent reading (or three). I shared these suggestions last year, and they still stand the test of time.
My favorite that I use every year:
Preparing for Christmas by Richard Rohr
This is a little book but so rich in reflections, questions, and ideas.
“Wisdom is to know how to hear and see on different levels at the same time.”
-Richard Rohr
For Advent & The Christmas Season
(Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas. Christmas Season is the 12 days after December 25th ending on Epiphany, which is January 6, 2023.)
Advent and Christmas Wisdom by Henri J.M. Nouwen
I love Henri Nouwen, so this is one that I have revisited for several years. It includes a reading from Henri Nouwen, a reflection, prayer, and Advent action.
“The two main enemies of the spiritual life are anger and greed.”
-Henri Nouwen
For the Christmas Season (Christmas Day through Epiphany)
The Work of Christmas The 12 Days of Christmas with Howard Thurman by Bruce Epperly
I discovered this book last year when I started to learn about Howard Thurman. Another short book packed with insights, practices, and wisdom.
“The mood of Christmas-what is it? It is the quickening of the presences of other human beings into whose lives a precious part of our own has been released. It is the memory of other days in which an angel appeared spreading a halo over an ordinary moment or a commonplace event. It is an iridescence of sheer delight that bathes one’s whole being something more wonderful than words can ever tell.”
-Howard Thurman
A Thoughtful Collection
Goodness & Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas.
This starts on November 21st and includes readings through Epiphany. It is a collection of essays from writers including Pope Francis, Maya Angelou, Kathleen Norris, Richard Rohr, Mary Oliver, and Joyce Rupp. It's a treasure; if you are new to Advent readings, you should start here.
May we search for your gentleness when it is covered with harshness in another.
May we observe your generosity in every gift we receive, no matter how small it is.
May we reveal your mercy when we pardon someone for having turned against us.
May we welcome your joy in the delightful voices and happy play of children.
-Joyce Rupp in Goodness & Light
This year I’m planning to re-read Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal by Christine Valters Painter which I read and loved earlier this year, and All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by Gayle Boss
(I’ve link all these books to Amazon, they are just links, not affiliate links, so you can check out and read more about any that might be interesting to you.)
May these words be an invitation to your soul. Read slowly and notice if there is an invitation that shimmers for you to walk with this week.
“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”
-Mary Davis
When I am Among the Trees
Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It's simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”