Day 4 - Fifteen Minutes

Last night and all of today, I was coming up with reasons NOT to walk this afternoon.  

I'm good at that, very very good. 

It was cold again.

I was tired.

My feet hurt.

My back hurt.

We would be going to Walmart.

I was very tired.

It wouldn't matter.

I walked during my break.

I walked a tiny bit farther on my break.

I would look funny.

Someone would judge me.

We went to Walmart and I was sad while there, not sure why.  I was sad and annoyed.

On the drive home, I decided that I'd be walking when we got home so that maybe the sadness and annoyance would go away.

I put on my silly rubber boots, tucked in my dress pants, went to my cottage and got my poles, and spent 15 minutes walking throughout the yard.

Even less snow today.  I was able to walk in some areas for the first time.  The cold air felt clean and good.  I did some heart-center breathing to fill myself up with clean, cold air.

But all I could think about was stopping.

The mental mind chatter wanted me to hurry up and stop, 

so I decided that 15 minutes was the minimum today.

I had to fight the mental mind chatter almost every step of the way.

 I won.  Today I won.

I reasoned with that mental mind chatter by saying "Ok, I'll only walk until my body tells me to stop.  I'll pay close attention to my hip, my knees, my arms."  I think that's fair and I think that's smart.

We brought this tree home as a sapling only a few years ago and it has grown beautifully.

Yours truly, heading in.  

Thank You God.