Long Walk Home

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Ugh. I don’t want to today. It sometimes goes this way.

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I make it a point to do cardio at least twice a week. On the days I walk, it is sometimes hard to get myself out the door to tackle a two-mile path through the streets of my neighborhood. I’ll do it right after I have some coffee. Let me update my music playlists first. I can vacuum the bathroom and then head out. It’s funny the things I’m ready to do when I’m really not in the mood to get out there and burn some calories. I know! I’ll dust first. If I really stop to consider what’s going through my mind, I start to laugh. Since when have I been anxious to dust?

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With my headphones on and music pumping, I’m a little more in the mood. The biggest hurdle is getting out the door, and with one step, I’ve made it. The open air feels good. The smell of Jasmine on my way down the front steps is intoxicating.

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Step by step, it all begins. Setting a pace. This whole excursion still feels like a major time drain, an extravagance I shouldn’t be taking. So many things to get done. I cycle through the list. Have to pay bills. Need to catch up on my accounting. There’s laundry to do.

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I round the corner and walk alongside a major thoroughfare. Traffic is still calm this early in the morning. Maybe I should turn back. The list of things to do is never going to get done. No, moving is good. It’s a good way to clear the mind, the soul. I should do this. Even if I don’t feel like it.

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My pace quickens. I make progress. Past the post office. Make a right. Make a left at the light. Love might not be mine, but that’s okay. Love is all around. My friends and family are worth more than gold. Who needs falling in love? Okay…falling in love would be great.

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I make it to my turnaround spot. The music has taken over. I can’t help singing out loud along with the melody. Perspiration now clings to my forehead and shirt. I’m getting into this. With a spin, I head back the way I came. I realize I’ve traversed more ground than I thought.

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Look at that sun in the sky. This is worth every second. How can I get so caught up with the everyday? The paying bills, the sweeping floors. This is what it’s about. Not the other stuff. Not the everyday clutter in life.

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Back around, I cross at the light. Make a right. Make a left. Pass the post office. Moving, moving. 

 

What have I done today to make the world a little better? Have I made someone feel good about him- or herself? I need to do that before the day is done. Something small. Leave the world in better shape than the way you found it.

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I round the corner. Two blocks until I get home. The patch of flowers at my feet are magnificent. It's a radiant display of color.

 

Life is about taking risks. Jump without overthinking. Get involved. Take a good whack at it even if you miss the ball and get it all wrong.

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I reach home again, but it doesn’t feel like I’ve been gone so long. That’s two miles? I can do more than that. It’s a great day. I’m working up a sweat. This is good for me. I can pay bills tomorrow. I can vacuum later. Forget about dusting. This is part of living. This is part of what makes life good.

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I pass my front door smiling and keep on going.

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