Things in Erin’s Head

It’s the WALKING CHALLENGE RECAP!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my Ten Day Walking Challenge! I appreciated your comments, feedback, and the inspiration you brought to the group just by showing up. I hope the challenge offered a little oomph to get you moving. Because that’s exactly what I was lacking. 

Ommph.

I was feeling sluggish and dragging and blaaaaahhh.

I checked in with my hormone doctor and she said, “Are you exercising? Get WALKING,” and so that’s exactly what I did. And I decided to bring my community along. I wasn’t looking for miles, or steps, or even minutes. I just needed to MOVE.

It was not easy. I can’t even claim it was FUN. But I got ‘er done and learned a few lessons along the way.

Getting the shoes laced is half the battle. If you’ve ever been to yoga class, many times the instructor will make a point to say, “Thank yourself for being here. Thank yourself for showing up.” That’s the mindset I had with my sneakers. As long as I could lace those puppies up and get out the front door, I had met my goal. 

I also received a lot of lessons on perspective. On one of my walks I chose to walk in the opposite direction from my norm. Counter clockwise if you will. It felt like when you try to part your hair on the OTHER side… itchy, awkward, and a little painful, but I noticed things I had never noticed before. A windmill. The elegant brick arches adorning the front of a particular home. Things just slightly obscured on my regular path, but when I changed direction I saw things in a different light. It made me wonder, how might I approach some of my current challenges if I just change perspective? More to come on that…

In the Taking the Pause community we had engaging chats about how we approach our walks, music or no music, pushing through when we really didn’t WANT to show up, ways we were moving that were not traditional walking. And then… <gasp>

I missed a day.

Yes, Dear Reader, I missed a day of my own challenge. It was Sunday. Mother’s Day. I went to the ballet the night before and stayed up way past my bedtime. #NotMyCat cares NOTHING about what’s happening in my world and breakfast remains at 6:00am. Sharp. Regardless of what I’ve been up to. So with a hazy morning brain, I told myself the age old lie, “I’ll do it later.”

And then I forgot. I celebrated Mother’s Day with my family, got home… and didn’t walk. It just evaporated from my brain.

When I woke up Monday morning I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. I felt embarrassed. There was no way I was going to lie to my community and pretend I walked. If I didn’t do it, well, I was going to have to fess up. And it was then, in that moment, that I remembered one of my favorite rules of life. When we faulter, we all get to 

BEGIN AGAIN.

I could have easily thrown in the towel. I could have said, “Screw it, I messed it up, I’m out.” The pendulum could have swung the other way and I could have said, “Well I didn’t do ten days in a row, so now I have to start all over,” discounting all of the work I had already done. Instead, I got up Monday, did my walk, and made my video for my group, sharing my experience.

Today was Day Ten. But that’s not the end for me. Yes, I’m going to get up tomorrow and head out the door, because part of my goal is to restart an old habit. I always feel better when I move (I think most of us do) and we just need to find enjoyable ways to do it.

Because it’s all about love…