Day 98 Going the Distance



March 17, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)

More than 10,000 steps, nearly 4 ½ miles and more than ½ gallon of fluids—healthy goals accomplished by 8:30 tonight. My Fitbit keeps track of walking, fluid intake and sleep patterns. Today was a good day except for fewer than 8 hours of somewhat restless sleep last night.

The big walk, 2.7 miles, was from my house to Gray’s Creek on a sunny, spring-like day with gusts of wind. An empty bench rests at the end of the community pier on the creek and its silence spoke loudly as I approached it. I had been so intent on covering distance and adding numbers that I forgot to stop and relish minutes and seconds of experience. I sat on the bench for a while and watched wind ripple the water, clear now but bound to change as summer boating begins and adds pollution from dripping fuel. I could see the pebbles at the bottom as ripples changed patterns depending on the intensity of the wind. Water and wind rhythms resonated in my body as I allowed myself to forget about distance goals and merely breathe and feel.

Maybe it is because at my age I’m aware that time shrinks the longer one lives, that I want to count each step, but I should never forget to stop and breathe in the gifts of nature that surround me. The red bench spoke to me and I am glad that I listened.

My gift today is a bench.
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> DAY 99

You can read my other posts on this project here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

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