It is a Glorious Fall Day

Today is one of those picture perfect days of September upon which travel brochures are created – warm in the sun, cool in the shade, too nice to ignore and too late to play hooky. So I came home from a full morning of obligations and went for a long walk, long for me anyway.

My five mile trek took me on a very familiar path. Leaving my front door, I ventured forth up the road and around to the park across the lake and back again. While enjoying this glorious weather, I was well reminded of what occupied my dedication to physical activity two years ago now. I was going to Nepal with Above & Beyond Cancer.

Today as I walked (without loaded backpack), I enjoyed the sunshine, the shade, and the opportunity to purposefully engage in physical activity without agenda. While getting me closer to my daily goal of 10,000 steps, the walk was mindful, intentional and restorative. I passed three people engaged in conversation on their mobile devices. Mine was in my pocket for safety and security. It was in my pocket in Nepal too, just in case I wanted to make a call.
I climbed up the flight of 74 uneven wooden steps in the disk golf course in the park, just for fun, and thought of the determination and necessity of building up to climbing 14 times up and down in preparation for summiting three mountains. Nepal was an incredible opportunity and life experience.
Today, taking advantage of a welcome gap on my calendar brought nourishment to my soul. I am home again now, thinking of those who will be traveling the Inca Trail with Above & Beyond Cancer in a short time. Life brings challenges and opportunities almost everyday. How we respond to them is a choice that we each get to make. BTW: I saw a Woolly Bear Caterpillar on the road – a sure sign of fall.