“All truly great thoughts
are conceived
while walking.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Any time of day can be thought of as walking time. This morning, I walked through the neighborhood in the mid-morning to early-afternoon hours. I logged over 8,000 steps — 3.3 miles. This evening, I’m planning to walk again, but it will be a shorter walk. The sun sets in San José tonight at 8:17. If I begin my walk around 7:30, I can walk for an hour and still be home before it gets too dark. This just might be my favorite time of day to walk.

With all the writing I’ve been doing recently, I need to get up, get away from my desk, and get my body moving more than once each day. The weather has been perfect for getting outside. I’m finding that scheduling the walks into my day, rather than simply going out if or when I might feel inclined to do so, is quite beneficial. I’m far more likely to actually go if it’s written on my calendar.

I also have another motivating factor which has been helping me to get up and out. My “sweet tooth,” which has has been pretty much under control for about two years now, seems to be reactivating. I’m finding myself giving in to the temptation to get that scoop of ice cream after dinner, eat a couple of those cinnamon-oatmeal raisin cookies with lunch, or savor the sweetness of a Danish pastry for breakfast. I keep reminding myself that everything is okay… in moderation. Walking, however, most definitely helps with the digestion of these calorie-laden treats.

It’s 4:30 p.m. now, so I have a good two and a half hours to continue working on my manuscript before taking a break for dinner. Then I will head out for an evening walk. When I get home, I will be more than ready to settle down for a good night’s sleep.

Grateful? Absolutely!… for the ability to write, to walk, to eat responsibly (most of the time), to sleep well at night, and for family and friends who continue to support me in my post-retirement writing career. I couldn’t ask for anything more.