I’m walkin’, yes indeed …

I’m walkin’, yes indeed …

Posted on October 16th, 2017 by Jeff McDonald

I’ve been walking, lately. And I’ve been walking a lot more, getting out past my usual routes of recliner-to-frig, and car-to-office. And the funny thing is, I’m LIKING it.

I wasn’t always such a slug. In my younger, slimmer days – oh, about 500 years ago, or so – I worked as an archaeologist, covering a lot of ground each day in the course of surveys across the southwest. But with the passing of time and the change of careers, I became more sedentary. I’m not as young or as slim as I used to be.

Not as healthy, either. It’s been a year-and-a-half since I stepped into the ring for the first round of my Texas Cancer Smackdown. There was the initial hospital stay which oled to my cancer diagnosis … then there was the surgery, and the recuperation … then there was the chemotherapy. Nothing new there … but it an already sedentary lifestyle became even more so, with extended periods where I was unwilling – and sometimes unable – to move much.

Then there was earlier this year, when the initial chemotherapy round was completed and the side effects were wearing off – and I was feeling pretty good. What’s that old saying? “Ten-feet tall and bulletproof!” I was feeling so good I started doing stuff with a too much enthusiasm and WAY too little thought. All of which led to a fall from the roof of our dock, severe dislocation and minor fractures to my ankle, and several ribs fractured … and more downtime.

Oy vey!

So, what happened … what got me moving? The community college where I work supports a variety of activities to encourage and improve employee health. This month, they announced a walking challenge. Maybe it’s the ‘challenge’ part that got to me, but I signed-up … and started walking.

And started liking it … and started looking for more ways to get in more steps every day. I live just a few blocks from the campus where I work … and just a few blocks from church … and just a few blocks from the nearest convenience store. When I do take the car on errands, I park as far away from the entrance to the grocery store/pharmacy/concert hall/whatever.

Needless to say, there are advantages to all this walking. There’s added points for the challenge, of course, and improved health. But that’s not all. There’s more contact with my neighbors, and others I meet on the streets. I’m observing more and learning about the things I walk past, than I would if I were driving past at 35+ MPH. If something catches my attention and my interest, I can stop and enjoy it … again, more than I could if I were driving past at 35+ MPH.

And I’m free to think about all kinds of stuff. Last weekend, we had my brother-in-law and his fiancé over for dinner – the menu and the shopping list for it came together during a walk. Thoughts for what I would say at a church gathering were organized and practiced during a walk.

And the idea for composing this post came up during a walk.

I’m walkin’, yes indeed!

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Jeff McDonald

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.