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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

I ate the gravy. I also had a slice or three of dessert and frankly anything else that looked delicious. No shame and no apologies, I enjoyed the tasty treats that are synonymous with family gatherings. It’s taken almost a week for my pants to fit the way I prefer, but that’s a trade off I’ll happily make.

I had the opportunity to go for a walk with my cousin while I was up north. The temperature was 20 something, so we bundled up before we took to the trails. She programmed her phone to track our steps and let us know when we hit our desired distance. I don’t know about you, but I’ll negotiate with myself if I get tired of doing a certain exercise. With her device in charge, I could no longer talk ourselves into going home early — we were done when her app told us we were.

After only a few steps, I was instantly glad that I had agreed to go on this walk. The fresh air, stretching my legs — I needed this. When we took to our first hill, I had so much energy that I challenged her to lunge up the hill with me. We slowed our pace and squeezed our muscles with each step. I wanted to make the most of this adventure.

When we got to our next hill, I was satisfied with simply walking up it. I had no desire to make it more difficult. It occurred to me that I’d be out there for quite some time and I didn’t want to be crawling back to the car.

As our conversation bounced from topic to topic with ease, I stopped thinking about the exercise we were doing. I was no longer concerned about the distance or engaging my muscles. I was swept away in the moment. Going for a walk and talking with someone I love was enough. I didn’t need to add any frills to the activity because in its simplicity, it was perfect.

I was talking to a gal the other day who was recovering from knee surgery. She was frustrated with how slow her healing process was and missed the days when she could go up and down steps with ease. After our conversation, I needed to check on something in the lower level of our building. As I started down the staircase I noticed how each step felt. I paid attention to how my feet, legs and knees were working together so that I could move with ease.

Walking is such a simple thing and yet it is a blessing that many do not enjoy. I’m not as young as I was, but I’m also not as old as I will be. I have much to be thankful for and small situations like these help remind me of that.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.