Just a walk

Walking is not only good exercise, it is good therapy. And . . . it is not something I take for granted.

I have settled into a routine where I try to walk twice a day for 35 to 40 minutes at a time. I do the time because some days I walk faster and others I walk much s l o w e r.

Routines help me in so many ways. On top of walking I make my bed, write my thots, spend some time learning Spanish, feed the birds and sweep the porch, draw something and read for thirty to forty minutes.

It gives a feeling of raison d'etre to my life.

Of course I do other things too, but they vary more by the week or month, or even season. I volunteer. I have a hobby. I take pictures. I do crosswords, play Upwords, and Words with Friends. People need to be busy, or at least I do.

But walking is probably the all around best thing I do for myself. It becomes a moving meditation. I try to memorize all the out of state license plates in the parking lot on some days. I count my blessings with a song I learned from a Chilean woman years ago on other days. I let my imagination run wild on others.

And all the while I am being good to my heart and kidneys and feet.