Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Tricking the Lazy Self

One might think it would be easy to make a habit of getting outside every day, but sometimes the thought of a brisk three-mile walk is daunting enough that I'll find excuses not to go, or allow myself to be distracted by other activities and responsibilities and forget until it's getting dark and unsafe to be on the road with a little dog.

So I play a game of strategy. I tell myself that I only have to go to the end of the driveway, and there I'll decide whether to carry on and for how long. This works quite well because if I'm dressed for action — half the battle because Saskatchewan weather often requires a fleecy, a windbreaker, a scarf, a hat, and ear protection even in the summer, and I also carry a bottle of water, my iPhone in case I want to listen to a podcast, and a notebook and pen in case "profound revelations" come to me — the fresh air and birdsong and trees and sky tend to draw me further out, so I don't want to come back in. If I don't have all this stuff with or on me but get out there anyway, the outdoors can be so compelling that it's no problem to come back into the porch and gear up to walk further.

Early morning walk; where the driveway meets the road. 


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Maggie Turner on "Peaceful Mind": 
Peace of Mind, I too could use some of that right now!
LOVE your photo, very peaceful. 


And still a few ducks on that little pond, too.


Maggie Turner on "Throwing Out the Stopwatch": 
Those are two happy looking dogs! 

They like nothing better than running.


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