Find your ‘Touchstone’

Many travelers to Ireland have heard of kissing the Blarney stone, but most have never heard of ‘kicking the wall’ on the promenade just outside of the beautiful city of Galway on Ireland’s west coast. Like so many traditions, it’s unclear when it began, but for the numerous walkers that take in the fresh Atlantic air, ‘tapping the wall’ at the halfway point of their walk has become tradition.

I first watched people doing it during one of my many visits to Galway while leading tours there and found it brilliant. It was fun to see people’s style…some would graze it, barely touching it, while others would give it the good old-fashioned donkey side swipe, while the occasional youth (possibly filled with more than fresh air) would test their strength with a full-blooded kick, perhaps followed by an ‘ouch!’ Suffice to say the final score in that game was Youth 0 ER 1. 

As the years progressed I too became one of the many evening walkers taking in the fresh air and sea views in all weathers and for the record, my style was more of a side tap. I began to look on that piece of wall as a genuine ‘touchstone,’ a place we all came back to at the end of every day. A chance to clear our lungs and reset and prepare for the next adventure.

As our own lives become more complicated and busy, both mentally and physically, it’s more important than ever to take that time to reset every day. Just like our computers or phones, there are times that they just freeze up and what do we have to do?  Reset them. Then remarkably they begin to work a lot better than they did before. 

We’re no different. Without doubt there are periods of our lives that overwhelm us, and we can become almost paralyzed in our thinking and actions. It’s at that time you must look to find your center, your touchstone. Whether it’s a simple walk, visit with a great friend, some meditation or prayer or finding yourself lost in the pages of a good book. 

The important thing is to go to a place where you cannot be judged and can find peace…unless of course you kick that wall too hard and end up in the ER…in which case you’ll have plenty of time on your hands to think and a great story for the rest of us!

– Paul Devlin 

Photo: Joe.ie