One Step at a Time

This post is just a look at what I saw and experienced on the trails on several days in late May; mostly so I can see this in a year or two or five and see how I was doing in May of 2025.

The last few weeks have been full of ups and downs, both in the weather and in my emotional state. The exercise and sunshine have done me good and yet I still have bouts of feeling almost depressed. I have managed to push through, but it has been tough at times. I think the key for me has been to keep going whether I feel like it or not. I'm not saying this is the answer, I'm just saying what has been my experience. I truly believe that God put the desire in me to do a daily walk for my health, and HE has given me the physical strength to do it. It's the only explanation, because I'm by nature a couch potato.

Before you start to tell me that in a state of depression a person sometimes is literally too tired to do anything, I know. I have been that person. That has been addressed in some of my earlier blogposts when I was just coming out of depression. It's a real thing, and I'm posting because God has brought me out of that state. I took antidepressants for many years and also had counseling. If you are suffering with depression, I get it. It is a real battle. Hang in there and keep on going. Pray, and God will help you.  

I've mostly been walking the path which goes under the bypass and eventually over to a small lake. I had not been going that far, though, until very recently. A couple of weeks ago I finally made it all the way to the lake, and it was 2.33 miles round trip (I turn around at some point when I walk this path; most times I don't go nearly this far before I turn around).

Love Birds

Small lake

The next day I thought I might be ready to do the "through the woods" trail (not really woods, but a substantial stand of mature trees), which is longer, so I set off for it by going up through the part of the campus where all the buildings are first and entering the woods through the entrance off Hwy. 62. I've included some pictures mixed in with the text. 

Entering the "woods"

Very hilly woods trail

This trail is a LOT of hills, up and down, both ways. According to the report from my watch, I climbed up and down 70 feet in elevation on this day. I wasn't really ready for this walk; it was an exhausting 1.76 miles.

I took pictures most days to keep track of how high the creek still was, because I'm a nerd and that fascinates me. On the May 21st walk, the creek was very robust, but the video won't post to the blog. Here is a photo of how it looked on May 25; still high.

Dodd Creek

I'm comfortably (somewhat) walking 1.5 miles a day as of the last couple of weeks. Occasionally I'll walk 1.6 or 1.7, but I'm not ready to commit to doing more than 1.5 for the next little while. I do intend to try the more elevated path again when I'm more conditioned to my current walking distance. In my defense, 1.5 miles a day is about 3 or 4 times what I used to walk in a day.

The problem now is, it is summer, darn it, which is not my favorite at all! I'm bathed in sweat no matter if I walk early morning or wait until almost sunset. I hate sweating, which is why I hate summer and am counting the days until fall. Only 2 weeks until the longest day, then we start getting shorter (and eventually cooler) days again, finally!

I have tried morning and evening, and I will try to walk in the morning whenever possible. It is much hotter and more humid in the evenings, and the mosquitoes have me on their menu as their favorite appetizer as sunset approaches.

So, that is how it is going. I'm trying to learn contentment, so I can enjoy all the seasons whether they are my favorite or not. I'm aiming for what Paul said: "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Philippians 4:11 NASB. 

Notice I said "trying." I have not achieved it, but I want to be content. It's a lifelong process. Maybe this is not an entirely encouraging post; maybe it's more of a progress report. I'm improving, slowly. One step at a time.

Blessings, my friends.