Walking is exercise for the soul

I started walking this past spring to get into shape. Truth be known, I found that my shorts no longer fit. (I hate it when clothes shrink in storage!)
I had thought about joining the gym, but I knew I would never find the time to go. I considered buying a piece of workout equipment -- a stepper or treadmill, perhaps. But there was just no room left next to the Nordic Trak and stationary bicycle.
For one fleeting moment I considered buying a good pair of tennis shoes and taking up jogging. Then I remembered I don't believe in jogging. I believe women who have had multiple children should not bounce up and down. I have no scientific research to back up my theory, but I know if I start running around, things will start falling out.
So, that left me with walking. It seemed like sort of a weak form of exercise, really. There was no grunting or groaning; no strenuous lifting or stretching. I hardly even broke a sweat. But every morning, as the sun rose in the sky, I hoisted my hips out of bed and headed out the door.
Success
Much to my surprise, my anemic workout started garnering results. Within a week, my zippers seemed to go up with a bit more ease. After a couple of weeks, my pants looked less "stressed" when I put them on. Inside of a month, I was bursting with energy, practically skipping as I walked. I even tried jogging a very short distance. (I maintain that it is still not a good idea!)
While my body was getting into shape on my walks, there was another aspect of my health that walking was helping. There is something about an early- morning walk that is good for the mind.
Early on, I determined that the road we live on was much too dangerous for early-morning walking. Cars go fast and there are many curves and dips in the road. So, I was relegated to walking the five acres of our property.
At first, the dew splashing up on my shoes and hitting the backs of my calves irritated me. Now, I look forward to seeing the tiny drops sitting atop the grass. As I trudge back and forth over the wet ground, I have become amazed by dew. I have never walked down through the grass and not been sploshed by the dew. It is there every morning like a true and faithful friend. Dew is nature's bath, wiping the dirt and grime of yesterday from the leaves and vines and berries -- and my shoes.
Lost in thought
As the dew cleans my shoes, it seems the fresh air clears my mind. Walking alone with no one to talk with except Charlie and Laverne, our two dogs, who are more interested in chasing bunnies and geese than anything I have to say, I find my mind wanders over every aspect of my life.
Once I have successfully pushed from my thoughts every task I must complete that day, I find myself contemplating the really important matters of this world.
Walking down the five acres of our property, I have envisioned the lives of my children in the years to come: what they will do with their lives, who they will become. Some mornings I burst with excitement thinking about their future goals and accomplishments. Other mornings, my thoughts are more a prayer for their guidance and protection.
Future
I envision the life my husband and I will lead after the children are gone. Sometimes I think of those years with anxious anticipation. Other mornings, leaving this stage of life fills me with great sadness.
I think about my friends and extended family on my morning walks along our property, interrupted every once in a while by the chirping of a bird in a nearby bush or the crow of the neighbor's rooster.
I'm so glad my clothes shrunk in storage this past winter. If they hadn't, I would have never known how beautiful a spider web is in the morning sunlight -- or how disgusting they are stuck to your face when the sunlight has failed to reveal one. I would have never known that walking, as simple as it is, can heal your body and your soul, making you as fresh as the morning dew.
gwhite@vindy.com