Move For A Reason

Have you ever gotten a gym membership and gradually just stopped going?  I have.
Have you ever trained for a big athletic event, (like a marathon or 1/2 marathon) then quit the day after the event?  I have.  Have you ever started going to exercise classes (maybe because of a Groupon) and quit as soon as the series was over?  I have.

Darrell and I have been having lots of conversations lately, about lots of things, including "exercise."  We've both come to the conclusion that unless you're doing something for a reason (not just exercising for exercising) and it's something you really enjoy, you won't continue it.  Also, combining multiple objectives into a task tends to increase value, you know, the old "two birds with one stone" adage.  Sorry, birds.

So, some things I've been wanting to do more of lately, because they add quality to my life are:
1. visiting with neighbors
2. walking or biking to go somewhere (park, store, library)
3. enjoying nature
4. and slowing down (mindful being.)

The result of combining these factors = walking to the grocery store.

CRAZY!

Maaaaayyyybe.  Today was gorgeous.  Mid 50's, sunny, blue sky.  The kids had finished their lessons.  We had eaten lunch.  I checked Mapquest.  1.88 miles each way.  Doable.  Backpacks were assigned and we set out.  There was whining.  There were "sit-downs" along the way.  We had to run across Crestwood Boulevard two times (there is no pedestrian crossing at Festival Center.) There was considerable debate over which ice cream to choose.  The ice cream was eaten waaaaaay before we got home.  It took a long time (2 hours).  Twenty-seven pounds of groceries seems to get heavier as one walks along.  Aine had seven pounds, Jacques probably had three.

Despite the "difficulties," we stopped to visit with the children's godmother who is going through chemotherapy treatments and has lost her hair.  If we were driving, we probably wouldn't have stopped.  We noticed lots of neighborhood dogs as they barked at us.  We heard another rooster in the 'hood, and noticed that his call is quite different than our rooster's.  We saw robins migrating.  We talked about people who have no cars and have to walk everywhere.  We talked about helping the environment by not driving our car.  On our way home, we stopped to talk with a neighbor who came out to greet us.

We got good exercise, slowed down, visited with neighbors and enjoyed the beautiful day.

I know we can't walk everywhere.  We don't always have such nice weather.  Sometimes we've got lots of activities planned.  But, with a bit of planning, days like this can and will be repeated.