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ONTHEPATH2's Recent Blog Entries
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Wednesday, June 19, 2013
I need new running/walking shoes. I bought a cheapie pair so I could keep one at work and one at home. The cheapie pair give me blisters on the bottoms of my feet. My good pair, well they have seen their day. They travel with me from home to work every day and have covered many miles!!! Funny, but I think they look pretty good on the outside - it's just that they don't feel so good on the inside. They no longer support my feet like they should - but I'll buy them later. They really aren't in my budget right now. Yup, they look just fine.
Got my walk in yesterday - here's how it went. I started out on the wetland side of the trail which is a board walk. Several of the sections were slightly underwater - when you stepped on the boards water oozed up over them. As I got further down the trail I met a man and his two dogs. He advised me that the trail was under water. Of course, I knew that - it was slightly underwater the night before when I walked there. I forged onward. I was on a mission.
I got to the first section which had some 2x4's end to end over the section that was under water. I balanced like an olympic balance beam athlete. Underwater, hah. This woman is on a mission. A little water isn't gonna keep me from my destination. I rounded the corner and then I saw it - three sections under water - water deep enough to cover the 2x4's. Ehhh - I got this - it's really only an inch or so I can do it. I balance on the boards and made it almost to the end - but the last step to the dry board was longer than I could step. Splash! Right foot goes in the water as I took the last step. Not bad, just a little wet. Feeling pretty slick! Yep, I got this. Yippee!
I walked a little further and there it was about 4 inches of water over the path. No 2x4's. Longer than I could jump. There were little fish swimming in it!!! In fact I had visions of me trying to make the leap and landing on my rear end in the water, or the swamp! Ok, so if I put my right foot slightly past the edge and take a B I G step I will make it - I think. After all, my right foot is already a little wet.
Uh, no. I took that first step and the water oozed into my right shoe and my left foot landed in with the water up to my laces. Yuck! I now have swamp foot - er, feet! My socks have green algae on them from the water. I looked ahead and there was one more section that looked pretty much like the last.
What to do? Onward - or traipse back to my car in defeat? Onward of course, after all, it couldn't get much worse, right? I sloshed through the last section of water and finished the mile walk.
Well now those just fine shoes I was talking about earlier - not only don't support my feet but they smell like swamp. I am going to get some new shoes!!! Today!!! Yippee!!!
Which brings me to a little revelation about myself. Funny, the guy said the trail was under water... why didn't I trust or believe him? Why do I think it will be different for me? Because I WANT something to happen or be different, I expect it will --- until I find out that---
I am no different!
The water didn't dry up or part like the Red Sea did for Moses. I ended up sloshing through it. Imagine that.
Sooooo - just for today - I am going to work harder at listening to the advise, words of caution, words of wisdom, etc, that others have to offer me. I don't have to experience everything first hand! I don't have to walk through the water and God knows I can't walk ON the water!!!
Opening my ears and my mind!!!
So today when I went for my walk, started at the part that wasn't under water, walked up to where the water was over the path and turned around and doubled back. I got in and extra 3/4's of a mile by doing that --- AND I had dry feet!!!
Guess at least I learned a lesson - and a little about myself!
enjoy!!!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
I had the most wonderful weekend. Friday night I went to the hockey game with my grandkids and daughter & son-in-law. Our team lost, but I had so much fun with the kids that it didn't really matter. My only downfall at the arena was a small mountain dew ... managed to stay in my calorie range and got in all my steps and then some!
Saturday got up bright and early to head to Fort Wayne,IN with a couple of friends. It started out gray and a little rainy out, but by the afternoon, the rain had moved on. We were attending a convention, but had some free time in the evening. We skipped the banquet style dinner and found a local restaurant (I always to try a local place when out of town, so tired of the restaurant chains). We found a great steakhouse. Had a steak and potato, probably went over on my calorie count - but afterwards we walked the town - and walked, and walked!
I love looking at the old buildings and architecture, sculptures, parks, etc. I usually snap photos with my phone of everything! We wandered toward the river and the nearby park. The bridge spanning the river was lit with neon blue.
Upon closer inspection - it was named the Martin Luther King bridge. It drew me in. I walked up to the span and looked at the engraving of Martin Luther King. I started to walk across the bridge when I noticed this plaque on the bridge.
Every so many feet there was another plaque with quotes from his various speeches. It couldn't help but make me think about my life and my relations with others. Then my mind wandered like my feet do - I wondered how they got the idea to turn the simple little bridge into such a thought provoking spot.
While on the bridge we ran into some locals who had just left the big Ribfest that was going on at the riverfront park. They stopped to chat and twisted my arm to pull of a bone of ribs from their slab. Yum! It was amazingly perfect bbq!
We headed by the park, took in some of the live music and the musings of the people who were playing carnival games. There were three young people who were in these balloon bubbles floating in a pool - what fun to watch them!
We stopped and chatted to a woman offering carriage rides. As our conversation grew, she invited us to get in the carriage and go for a tour free of charge. She showed us the highlights of the city and gave us some of its history. What fun!
Sunday afternoon, we wandered back down to the Ribfest. What fun! We watched them grilling and sampled some ribs. Each place boasted their trophies nearby. Everything had a country or pig theme! Even the grills!
As we made our way back towards our hotel we spied this little diner. It was closed, but I couldn't help but snap a few photos of it. See if you can find what brought a smile to my face!
Yup, "no whining!"
I had 10,000 steps on my fitbit before we set foot in the car for the ride home. I made pretty good choices with food - was over on my calorie count, but got more than 10,000 steps in each day.
My weekend was filled with food for my heart and soul! I came home tired, but refreshed. I am so blessed with a wonderful family and good friends to share my life with. While it was great to get away, Dorothy is right, "There's no place like home."
Here I am, back at work. Planning my lunchhour walk through the wetlands at noon. Funny, but I am looking forward to getting out and walking now. AND
When I was getting ready for work, I got out a pair of capri pants to wear that I hadn't worn yet this year .... AND THEY WERE TOOO BIG!!!
While I don't know what that number on the scale says, things are changing and the biggest thing changing is me.
Friday, June 14, 2013
It is a glorious Friday here in Western Michigan. The sun is shining, soft breeze blowing, temp in the 70's, blue skies - picture perfect. One of the girls at work suggests we all go out for lunch and eat on the deck somewhere. Ooooooh! I am so in on that!!!
Wait, what am I thinking? I know I will not make a healthy food choice. I was going to walk at noon because I am going to a hockey game tonight - and there will be no cardio walking tonight. In fact, there will be arena food to tempt me. If I eat unhealthy food for lunch and eat unhealthy food tonight - I will feel crappy and I will be taking a few steps in the wrong direction of where I want to be. Ugh! This is just too hard. I want to hang with the girls. I don't want to eat a salad. I want the giant burger AND the fries. Why am I doing this anyhow? Oh wait, so my knees feel better, so I feel better, so I look better..... ok. I got it, but I still don't want to today. Maybe tomorrow. And this is how my falling off the path gets started.....
Then our receptionist asks if anyone can cover for her so she can go along with the rest of the girls to lunch. No one volunteered - so I did. She was grateful and I was relieved! Temptation removed - for now.
Something is changing here ----- maybe I should say someone. It's ME!!!!!
You see, this is where I normally cave in. Healthy eating is tooooo hard. I am tired of denying myself the foods I think I love. I am tired of exercising. The pounds are no longer melting off like they did that first couple weeks. In fact it is when the scale says -.2, +.4, -0, -.2 and after a week the net weightloss is like .2 ---- and I need to lose like 80 lbs. This is where I start thinking it will never happen for me.
This is where my mind says, eat the pizza you know you love it - you aren't going to lose any weight anyhow. Or, go hang out with the girls, drink some beer, eat some unhealthy stuff - you miss doing that. Or it says, why work out - you are doing it for nothing the scale isn't going to move. And then I start believing.....
So, I backed out of lunch outside with the girls. I covered the front desk at work AND I went for my walk & ate a healthy lunch!
As I was walking the trail, I noticed that I picked up my speed a bit. It used to take me 30 minutes to finish the loop - it was closer to 20 - and I was crossing sections of water balancing on a 2x4! In fact, I even jogged 100 steps every so often. I NEVER do that! Just a month ago, it was all I could to finish the whole loop. Now I am doing it with ease. In fact, if I had just a wee bit more time on my lunch hour, I have no doubts that I could do it twice!
I must say the best thing I ever did was quit getting on the scale and getting a fitbit instead. I no longer get discouraged by that number on a daily basis. I wake up and feel challenged to meet my step goal each day instead. That has done wonders for my mindset.
Today - this girl: is not discouraged and is not giving up. This girl can do this - WAIT - this girl IS doing this. This girl will reach her goal, because she can AND because she believes!!!!!
This weekend will be full of challenges, and I probably won't be logging in as I will be on the road at a convention. Bringing my walking shoes and going to make the best choices I can.
I hope you all have a great weekend! Smile and do something you love!!!
Chat with you Monday, or maybe Sunday night if it isn't too late when we get in.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
We hear that one all the time right? Follow your heart.....
Tonight my son has a double header softball game. My son plays special olympics softball. He has for years now. He is THE catcher. He takes his softball very seriously. He calls it his career (along with bowling and basketball).
Last Sunday we were at the Detroit Tigers baseball game. Before the game you could go on the field and take photos. For my son, Jack, that was like nirvana. While on the field some of the players wandered out. My son spied Miguel Cabrera - the triple crown winner. He started calling him. "Miguel! You da man!!!" Somehow over all the noise, Miguel heard him and came trotting over to where we were standing. They high fived each other. Jack then went on to tell him about his softball team. Miguel listened. He then offered to pose for a photo with Jack. I snapped a photo with my phone and thanked him. He trotted off. A photographer from the Detroit News was watching the whole thing unfold and snapped a great photo of the two of them. It was on their website with the story of Sunday's game. Point - Jack always follows his heart. I don't think he knows how NOT to do that. When he wants something he goes all out - and sometimes he gets it!
So back to that softball game. I always watch his game. He beams with pride, win or lose. I know that having someone there to share that with is a whole part of it. I am always there.
I also have set goals for myself, and getting in my walking is important to me - and doing that when I work 9 hours a day, combined with a double header softball game is going to be hard.
So thinking with my head, I plopped on my treadmill at 6am. UGH I am not a morning person. Combine that with new running shoes. Two minutes in, I was watching the clock on the treadmill. I walked my 2 miles in 30 minutes hanging on. I could hear Jillian Michaels in my head shouting LET GO! but if I was going to keep that pace at that time - it was holding on! The bottoms of my feet were sore and felt like maybe there was a blister on the bottom of my heel.
Knowing I still had a ways to go, I headed out at noon with my old shoes to the wetlands trail. My heart was in it, but my head was not - and neither were my feet. The trail was partially under water as I headed out.
Then it got worse and about 3 inches of water was flowing over the trail. Dejectedly I turned around and headed towards my car. Then I got the idea of walking from the other entrance going as far as I could and turning back. I ended up with a longer walk! Hmmmm.
While at the back of the park, I met an older woman who was gingerly walking through the water over the path. She stopped, said hello and what a lovely day it was. I could tell she had suffered a stroke in her past. She went on to say how blessed she was to be ABLE to be out there walking in the glory of nature.
How uplifting. I stopped whining about the blister on the bottom of my feet and counted my blessings. I was ABLE to be out there! How many days was I able to be out there and chose to be indoors with food, or lying on the couch instead?
I turned back and headed for my car. Thanking God for allowing me to make better choices today - for helping me make the decision to walk instead of sitting in the lunchroom watching the news on tv with everyone. Thanking him for my Spark brothers and sisters who walk the path with me. Thanking him for my son who always reminds me to live with passion.
AND then I saw it.....
Nature's valentine.
I hope you are ABLE to get out there today - and if not today - another day. It's all about choices.
No regrets!!!
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Member Comments About This Blog Post:
What a beautiful place to walk.....and with your granddaughter, perfect! 
