A Christmas Walk

Christmas was a very busy day at my house.  We had our annual (now in its 30th year) Christmas morning brunch.  As the children have gotten older (all now fully grown adults), scheduling becomes more difficult.  And, they don't want to get up at O-dark-thirty to celebrate a holiday or eat my brunch.  No kids of their own at this point.

We had to work around a friend heading to Mass before brunch, a girlfriend who had to leave for the airport at 1:30, and two other of my kids who had to make appearances at the homes of the families of their significant others.  Someone must pick up 92 year old grandma to get her here - usually me.  Someone has to keep the food coming - usually me.  Someone has to orchestrate eating, gift exchange, and clean up - usually me.

This annual affair began 30 years ago when our now 36 year old first born had no Christmas celebration.  Next door to us on one side lived an Irish Catholic family with 7 kids.  On the other side were some elderly Buddhists.  Across the street were Orthodox Jews.  What's a mom to do when the kid asks why we don't have Christmas.  Dad said - give him Christmas.  I asked around and discovered that several friends had nothing special to do with their kids either.  So, our 'stray, abandoned, and orphaned' Christmas Brunch was born.

But, today, it was too beautiful outside to not take advantage of the weather.  So, after all the eating, entertaining, transporting, and gifting, I grabbed the leash and took Lizzie for a little walk.  It wasn't a long walk, but it was worth the effort.  What better way to celebrate Peace On Earth by doing a nice, peaceful activity like walking?  

That cute picture can be found at this blog.   It's a great picture, but i would never let my dog 'walk' herself.

*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Ready For Something More?

If you've been walking a while, you may be looking for more ways to fit simple exercise into your life.  If so, take a look at this site.

Don't scroll down to far at that site cuz you might get intimidated.  Remember, you just do what you can, start a the level you are comfortable at, and progress at a reasonable rate if you want.

If you still just want to walk, that's fine too.  Walking works best for me.  As you probably know, I also dance (linedancing, sliding) twice a week.  That's so much fun!  'We don't bark and we don't bite. You can't dance and stay uptight.'  That's from a great old tune, Dancing In The Moonlight.





*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Sometimes You Feel Like A Hamster

You know those little ferris wheel type things that people put in the cages of hamsters and gerbils to let them exercise?  There is one mall in the area that pretty much makes me feel like a hamster.  And, I hate hamsters, gerbils, and other rat-like creatures.  But, I do like having a free place to walk even if it is a smallish mall.

Plaza Frontenac is the mall.  It's got two levels, both covered mostly with wood which is easy to walk on.  The other surfaces there are carpet and some sort of textured tile.  There are some broad staircases so we can get in a few ups and downs.  There are two real pluses about Plaza Frontenac.  First is the covered, heated parking.  Second is - no strollers and no teenagers.  While I love both babies and teens, when I'm walking, I hate having to navigate around moms pushing strollers and teens window shopping.

So, I'm a mall snob.  I regularly walk at both West County Center and Chesterfield Mall.  But, in these weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, these two malls are just too crowded and the weather outside is usually unwelcoming.  So, we are stuck with Plaza Frontenac.

It's very much a Cadillac problem, right?  We have a mall to walk at and it's free and has covered parking and a nice wood floor.  The window shopping is a bit esoteric as I am unlikely to purchase an Omega watch, a Coach bag, or furniture from either of the two specialty stores there.  No Lucky jeans for me either.  While I occasionally shop at some of the other stores there, there is nothing from any of them on my gift list this year.  But, I'll take advantage of their welcoming atmosphere and be grateful for it.



*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Walking The Eleventh Step

Al-anon's Eleventh Step says:
 Sought through Prayers and Mediation to Improve our Conscious Contact with God, As We UNDERSTOOD HIM, Praying Only for the Knowledge of His Will for Us and the Power to Carry That out.

For me, walking is a good time for me to pray and/or meditate.  For me, walking outside makes me feel closer to my Higher Power (HP).  If you're not a 12 Step person, you'll still understand the meaning and impact of the words of this step.  Maybe you don't feel the need for closer contact with a HP or maybe you don't believe in a HP.  Then, just ignore my musings here and continue on your walk.

My journey through the 12 Steps has coincided in time and space with my beginning and continuing to walk.  The two are closely intertwined in my life.  Maybe that's why it has been fairly easy for me to find the time - force the time - for my walks as a priority over most other things in my life.  It's very valuable that my sweet husband both supports and encourages my 12 Step work as well as my walking.  Or maybe he just likes the positive changes he's seen in me over these past 16 years!

So waking and meditating.  When I walk with another person, there is less meditating as I'm busy carrying on a conversation with my walking buddy.  In my case, most of my walking buddies are either in program (al-anon) or they 'get' the concept of seeking closer contact with a HP.

If the idea of walking and meditating appeals to you, read this article that has specific guidelines for doing just that.  When I first began the process, I just figured it out on my own as I had no idea that anyone else was doing it.  That's also the main reason I began writing this blog as there was almost no information online about the benefits of walking - the noncompetitive type walking.  If you want to walk competitively, go for it!  But, this blog and my walking are for my heart, mind, and body and is not a competition.  

Wonderful weather outside aids in the process, but it is not necessary.  Today was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, so I took advantage and walked twice for a total of about 5 miles.  But even on rainy and dreary days, you can often find me outside, braving the elements, to feel that connection to my HP and to keep myself feeling better.  It works for me.


(This article was written on November 29, 2014, a sunny, wonderful day for walking outside.)





*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Can A Box Get You Motivated?

Are  you familiar with the God Box?  In simplest terms - and it's a simple concept - you have a container into which you put slips of paper on which you've written things you want.  The idea is that you write down your wants, desires, hopes, etc., put them in the God Box, and forget about them.  Having put them in the God Box, you have offered them to God, your Higher Power, and/or the Universe.  And, in that funny way the Universe has of responding to such 'requests', many of your wants will manifest in your life.

This is not new age hokum or voodoo or any such thing.  It's half affirmation and half mindfulness.  It's a quick moment to crystallize what's in your mind, write it down, and trust it to your Higher Power.  I know this works.  I'm not sure it works with every little thing because once I've put that slip of paper in my God Box, I really do get it off my mind (forget it) and I don't keep track.  I do know that having put that thought out into the Universe makes it possible for the Universe to respond.  You might liken an unrecorded wish or goal as a song that no one ever sings.  A song that remains unsung is a poem - but not a song.  Why write a song that no one ever sings?  Instead, take positive action and write your song (your desire) and put it into words (on a slip of paper), then put it where it can find an audience to sing it.

This simple concept is also easy.  It's an example of a KISS (keep it simple, stupid).  It's also one of the few simple concepts that is also easy.  It's letting go at its most basic level - on a sticky note, for instance - and turning it over to God (HP, Universe, whatever you call yours).  If you are unsure, it won't take much of an investment of time or money to test the hypothesis.

In this case, we'll say that you would like to have more time to walk.  Or, you'd like to be better motivated to walk/exercise/  Or you want to feel better and you have come to believe (cuz you've ready my blog) that movement will make you feel better.  You write that down on a sticky, put it in a Mason jar, and go about your business.  Once it's written down and put into the box or jar, your 'work' is done.  Now, you wait, totally unaware - or maybe a bit more mindful - because you put it into the care of your HP.

In my case, I like to craft so I want a really pretty God Box.  I can decorate a shoe box, oatmeal container, or  Mason jar with my favorite colors and images.  I set it where I'll see it every day (how about the kitchen counter if it's a jar or a bedside table if it's a jar or box) so I will remember to use it.  I keep a small pad of sticky notes or scrap paper and a pretty pen nearby.  See, write, put in container, close container, forget about it.  See?  I told you it was easy.

Here are a few suggestions to put in your box/jar:

I'd like to walk for 10 minutes every day.
I'd like to have 20 minutes of down time in my busy day so I can exercise.
I'd like to feel better.
I'd like an energy boost that only exercise can give me.
I'd like a simple way to de-stress for a few minutes every morning.
I'd like to remember to meditate every day.
I'd like to get a walking buddy.
I need some comfortable walking shoes.
I need to come up with a good place to walk in bad weather.
I want to turn over a new leaf and take care of myself.

I'm sure you'll come up with many more.  And, it doesn't have to be limited to walking or exercising.  It can be about finances, relationships, your job, a cure for chronic lateness.  There are no rules here except that the slip of paper should contain a positive statement.  So, if you want to get an energy boost, you would not write down that you're tired.  That's a negative.

I hope this makes sense to you.  It's such a useful and positive tool that you'll be pleasantly surprised if you try it.

Remember - whether we like it or not, every thought is a prayer.





*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.