I like to walk and have made it a point to take a walk outside everyday for the past month. In addition, I jot down where I walked and other notes (how I was feeling, the view, the weather) on my Google calendar. Now when I look back over the month, I remember those walks as if I were right back there.
The act of writing down this information is a method of holding time accountable. It’s a simple technique that helps bridge the past with the present. The ability to remember events, conversations and activities are easier when they have been recorded.
This past week, in the middle of a cool, crisp, sunny day, I ventured on a new trail. It was right there on the side of the road, so I HAD to check it out. The signage informed me the trial led up and over a ridge so I could see Horsetooth Reservoir but I never made it that far. Instead I walked for about an hour and was enjoying the breeze and the wide open skies and getting to the top of the ridge, until I was rudely interrupted by the distinct sound of a rattle. I didn’t wait to see the perturbed snake and immediately reversed course and headed back. My return walk had a bit more pep as the adrenaline kicked in and my path was mostly downhill. Once I left the scene of the rattlesnake, I didn’t feel threatened but I was more focused on what was on my path instead of the view above me.
Having shared my daily walking goals on this blog for the whole world (yes, the whole WORLD) to read is a good incentive for me to keep on keeping on. The walks help me feel connected in a way that has been missing. And being outside is balm for my soul.
Sending hugs to one and all — MargeKatherine
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Happily ... after retirement 
Walking is the best exercise and really good for the soul as well. I have to go out everyday, I go stir crazy otherwise, but so far I’ve never encountered a rattle snake – long may that continue! Take care honey 🙂
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hi Marge!
I’ve been a bit lost without my beloved greenway trail but have discovered another bike path in SW Longmont that will keep me going!!
x…x
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So glad your walk ended on a good note MargeKatherine.
blessings ~ maxi
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Love your words – thanks for sharing your thoughts! Walking truly is the gift that I give myself. Sometimes I force myself out of the house and am usually smiling within minutes. Movement creates energy which changes everything around me.
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Hi Steph, I’ve found tons of new trails that I didn’t know about before and with our mild Oct weather it’s been a treat to head north, or south or any direction I want – new vistas, sounds and delightful smells. Hugs to you!
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Me too Maxi! I am so glad I was not tuned out with music and instead tuned in to nature so I could hear the rattle as I approached (and as turned and ran back the way I came!) All in all it was a good hike that day.
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What a good idea to help you remember your walks. It’s so easy to forget them, but this way you can pull them right back up in memory. Walks can be such balms for the soul. I walked about a mile already today, just down our road toward the bay and back up. It was lovely.
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There’s something really great about walking. I think part of it is that it’s a bit like pressing the pause button. You leave everything behind and just take your own self out walking. Even if you’re walking with someone else. it always feels to me like a time out of time.
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Hi Joss,
What a wonderful way to describe a walk. When done consciously it is a way to put time on ‘pause’ because we are in the moment – not thinking about yesterday or what we will have for dinner but instead -where we are right here and now.
Lovely. Thanks so much!
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