Xercise365

I never thought walking would be an exercise for me. I have been at it every day for one month and I have not only liked it, I’ve loved it. It has caused me to think and be more observant than when I fly by on my mountain bike which was my preferred form of exercise until my surgery to have my gall bladder removed.

Today, as I often do, I walked through the Maryville College woods. I noticed trees I had been by dozens of times perhaps more than a hundred. I really studied them. I looked at a tall pine backdropped by the blue sky. I saw a knotty maple with whithering leaves. I saw a tree with a scar. A scar caused by a fatal impact of a careless young man with his life ahead of him. A tree that wishes it had never been in the way of a speeding automobile. A tree surrounded by flowers and words written by people equally as young forever changed by a loss. I read the notes left by friends and looked at the flowers wishing they had never been bought. I walked alone and said a prayer for the grieving friends and family of a young man who only days before had walked tall in his life.

That’s been my x-plan lately. I am just a walking fool (kind of have to walk, doctors orders after recent gall bladder removal surgery). Monday I walked. Don’t remember where but I walked. Tuesday I walked around Maryville College. Wednesday, I walked up a mountain behind the Claremont Resort and Spa where I stayed during a business trip to speak at a conference. As I walked up the mountain, I watched an amazing sunset over the city of San Francisco.  Ditto Thursday - another walk up the mountain but this time with more clouds. Friday am, I had an early walk down the shopping district of Berkley before flying home. Saturday I hiked part of Bote Mountain trail with some friends. It was absolutely beautiful. This morning, I walked to church with my kids (read my other blog about it to as part of a campaign I’d like to start called Silence on Sunday’s). All this blogging and I am going to need some new fingers. All this walking, I am going to need some new shoes!