I'm addicted

I know some people are probably getting tired of hearing me talk about it, but I can't believe how much I love walking each morning. After just four days, I find that I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait until tomorrow morning.

This morning's walk was a struggle. I really didn't want to get out of bed early. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be a good day. I don't know why. Just something in my brain made me want to just stay in bed all day. But I forced myself to get up and head out about 6:30 a.m. Once I got started, I felt great. For the first time, I had my iPod. I loved choosing a few of my favorite songs (including those from Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Van Morrison, Jimmy Buffett and the Grateful Dead) to get my day started. I made it two times around my neighborhood, which is 1.2 miles.

I was proud of myself for doing it. I resisted the urge to do nothing. A few short months ago that urge would have gotten the better of me. But my positive outlook didn't last. From the moment I got to work until the time I left, so many little things were pushing my buttons. I've been working on not letting those things get to me. In fact, rolling with the punches is a big part of my plan to achieve a happier mindset. It's been working for the past week or so. Today was too much. And I hate when I let things get me off balance.

Now that I've had a couple of hours to reflect on the day, I feel silly for getting overwhelmed. There was nothing about today that should have thrown me off my game. More importantly, I find myself thinking about tomorrow's walk and the songs I want to listen to. I think I'm addicted to walking because it gives me an escape. When I'm doing it, I don't think about anything. When I'm not doing it, I think about doing it. This just might be the distraction my brain needs ... oh, and it's really good for me.