Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would address walking, or any kind of outdoor activity at all, but here we are.
All my life I have been a night owl. Even through the years and circumstances that caused me to have to get up early, I did it by necessity, not because I enjoyed it. I would say that is still true today, with one observation: early morning can have its benefits.
Last week I got up early a few days to get my grandkids to school and decided I would walk right after I dropped them off, since I was up anyway. I discovered (or perhaps, just remembered...I have actually been up before 7:00 am in my 70 years), that it is quite lovely outside on a spring morning.
It is May, and the "beast of scorching heat" that comes upon this area in the summer is still slumbering, but right now the mornings are actually nice. I found that walking about 8:00 am was perfect weather, since I prefer it to be on the cooler side. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning walks last week. My thoughts were, "well, I'll walk in the mornings this week because I'm already up, but next week I'm sleeping in!"
This morning I woke up at 6:20. Yes, in the A.M.
Normally I'd be thinking "seriously? I can sleep as late as I want, and I wake up early?" Instead, my first thought was "I should check the weather and go ahead and walk if it's not raining."
What?!?
So I did just that. I saw on the weather app that we could have showers off and on all day, with a greater chance in the afternoon. My old self would have rejoiced that I might get out of walking, but this "loves to walk" version is planning ways to get my walk in around the weather.
I am not writing this to brag. I'm not "patting myself on the back" for finally doing what I should have been doing all along. I'm writing it to encourage someone out there that whatever it is that you know deep down that you want and need to do, you can do it.
Look, if I, a lifelong couch potato and overall sedentary lifestyle advocate can start going on a daily walk at the age of 70, anything is possible. I wouldn't have believed it 3 months ago. But now, I know I can not only do what I need to do for my health, I actually enjoy it and look forward to it.
This isn't just about walking. This is a "fill in the blank" encouragement. Only YOU know what it is that you wish you could do, but you think you can't. You CAN.
It was 7:34 am when I hit the trail this morning, and the threat of rain was looming all around, as the photos I attached will show. I walked 1.5 miles and wasn't even really tired, but I did want some coffee.
Oh, and I'm still a night owl at heart. I'm not saying I will always walk before 8 am. But I can and will get up early when the need arises.
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 NASB