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Posts Tagged ‘walking’

Waking and Walking

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on July 6, 2016| 2 Comments »

In the first Bunco Biddies mystery I wrote, Dumpster Dicing, two of the retired citizens at Sunset Acres discover a body in the community dumpster on their daily morning power-walk!  Walking in the early morning was one of the ways they stayed fit and healthy up into their sixties and seventies.

No matter your age, the more you can keep moving the better.  Studies show just a brisk thirty-minute walk first thing in the morning can do wonders for your health, psyche and metabolism.  So, recently, I decided to emulate my characters and get up, get out and get going.

people-863728_640Here in Texas, summer heat can be brutal by 11:00 a.m., so the earlier you can throw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and lace up your walking shoes the better.  I have chosen to rise with the sun. I have my half hour of devotional and reflection time, down 16 ounces of water, then open my apartment door and greet the day.  Here are a few of the benefits I have discovered during my early A.M. trek so far:

  1. I am meeting more neighbors. I can offer a friendly wave or say, “Good morning” and help get their day started off on a positive note. That helps me do the same.
  2. I hear birdsong, watch squirrels dashing across the branches, and even notice small insects going about their work.
  3. I notice my stature is more erect. My shoulders slump less. My lungs fill with air. It always seems fresher in the morning.
  4. I am sleeping better at night. Unless of course, one of the rafter-rumbling Texas summer storms roll through.
  5. I have some nice conversations with my Maker as I stroll and enjoy His creation around me.

In my youth, I associated summers with sleeping in, being lazy and basking. Then life, work, raising a family and volunteering filled my days.  Now, as I get older, I see I have missed out on a lot of the beautiful quiet times. True, we have to schedule them. But I am glad I decided to be more like my Bunco Biddies, Janie, Ethel and Betsy Ann, by getting out there daily and moving….hopefully I won’t find a body in my complex’s dumpster!

 

If you’d like to preview Dumpster Dicing, click here: http://www.juliebcosgrove.com/dumpster_dicing.html

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Longest Walk

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , on August 22, 2014| 3 Comments »

ID-100108485Infants become toddlers when they begin to, well, toddle. What parent hasn’t crouched down, arms extended and coaxed their wee one to inch towards them, one wobbly step at a time, then scooped them up and hugged them once their hands reconnected? It is necessary in the child’s development to crawl, toddle, walk and eventually run. We can’t carry them around until they are in their 30’s, can we?

In prayer, my mind pictured a toddler reaching out, unsure if it could walk.  Arms outstretched, it’s attention on it’s father’s beckoning hands, just three short steps away. A soft voice whispered, “Come. You can do it. Come. I’m here. Trust me.Try.”

Sometimes, I think God does carry us. But there are other times when He sets us down and backs away, just a few steps, so we will be enticed to walk towards Him. It is a test of faith and trust, but it also helps us reevaluate how much we want to be in His arms again. Do we sit and cry, demanding He to come to us?  Or do we slowly rise onto our feet and begin to take the first toe-to-heel movements in His direction as He gently calls to us, trusting if we wobble or stumble, He will be there to scoop us up?

Our faith-walk, just as an infant’s strides, should become more sure and steady. We are never out of the peripheral vision of our Daddy’s eyes or the extent of His reach, but there are times He wants us to test our legs, our boundaries, and our trust in Him. By letting go, He encourages us to draw near, to take those first few steps back to His arms where we once felt so secure. How else can we grow strong enough to stand in His presence?

Do you feel as if God has stepped away? Maybe He has… for your benefit,  Look with your heart. There He is, crouched with arms outstretched towards you. Take a deep breath, rise and walk to Daddy. Trust Him. Try.

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