Day 1

On January 17, 2014 I decided to take a long walk everyday for 30 days and post a photo for each day of my journey. Though I began walking, almost daily, last January, as with many things in my life, this new habit took a while to take hold.

Some days I just walked to the shed to put out the recycling, other days I trekked across town and back and there were very sad days where I walked to the car. Ahem. But I developed a fondness for my new habit. Fondness can get you out of bed in the cold, dark of winter. I liked it that much. So I began to walk  to rather than drive to the grocery store, to the movies, and downtown to the croissant shop on Sunday mornings. I began to kick the suburban habit of driving everywhere to the curb. But it wasn't daily. Until last summer.

Last summer, the summer of my discontent, I began to walk daily for sheer, desperate need. I needed to get out of my head, out of my house and into something completely different without really going anywhere. I used and abused Mad Men for this purpose but the effects of the cure were over with the closing song.

So I walked. I walked all over Oakville. I walked around all sorts of unfamiliar neighbourhoods and walkways and paths and tunnels and nooks and crannies that I only drove by before. I shed 10 pounds, the world on my shoulders and years of bitter cragginess. And something happened to me.

I walked into gratefulness. I literally walked into her. And her eyes were my eyes. I used to be grateful, so long ago it must have been another life. but I walked into her again. I discovered I could be grateful. And I was so grateful for grateful. I wasn't looking for her, but she found me. I couldn't have needed her more. And she arrived, unannounced, like all things in life that we really, deeply need. And so began my new journey.

And, as with all newborn babies, I am taking lots of pictures.