Walk, and the world walks with you

By Susan Clark

     Into the 4^th week of my New Year’s workout, I have to report last week went well.  I did my 20-minute power walk four out of seven days, adding new stretches and a little yoga. All on the treadmill, or as a friend of mine calls it, the dreadmill. She’s an outdoor woman who runs, so I get her attitude, but I reminded her it was my initial means of getting off the couch. It was handy; I didn’t have to suit up in winter wear, just jumped on.  But today I got off work early, came home and suited up for the great outdoors—leggings, sweat pants, my thickest socks, my new great shoes, a sweatshirt, neck scarf, gloves and headband. Yes, I felt like a little kid whose mother pushed her out the door into a snowy playland, hoping I wouldn’t fall over backwards.

    I will say I felt quite comfortable in the 46-degree weather as I headed to the park. I am envious of people who can go for a walk at this time of day. There were very few of us.  I passed a woman walking a small dog, a couple deep in conversation walking two big dogs, a lonely-looking, expressionless man sitting on a bench, a young woman sitting in her car reading, engine running.

     The crows ruled for about the first third of my walk until I rounded the corner to the children’s pond where about 150 ducks and a few geese were having at it, playing some kind of “king of the mountain” game, it seemed. Turtles completely absent—I suppose they hibernate? I was the noisy intruder as my feet pounded the ground, lungs working hard, mouth dry. More birds as I walked on entering the woodsy side of the park—cardinals, I think, and of course lots of sparrows.

     Nearing the end of my walk, I passed the first lady I saw with the dog who laughed and said, “I guess you can tell this is not a workout for us” as they hadn’t made it very far and I realized I had walked at an extremely good clip.  Around another couple and there’s the couple with the two dogs.  Wow, I did walk fast and loved it, I felt good. You can walk fast and take in your surroundings at the same time, nothing better than that.

     The final reward as I winded around my last corner home was a rhythmic thumping on wood. I stopped and looked up, tracing the big oak for its visitor—a woodpecker.  Thinking back to my girlfriend calling my treadmill a dreadmill, I had to admit she had it right. So many wonders in the great outdoors.  And yeah, next time, not so much padding and bring the lip balm.