Journal: #149 10,000 Steps & Counting

Daily Journal

Dec 16

One of my favorite YouTube Channels is Wheezy Waiter. It’s produced by a man named Craig and features his wife Chyna. Together they make videos focused on everyday human behavior and current trends. Their most popular videos are 30 day challenge videos. The most popular video being “We Quit Sugar For A Month, Here’s What Happened,” with over ten million views and counting. Not bad.

The first Wheezy Waiter video I watched was the “We Walked 10,000. Steps A Day” video. I was already on the 10,000 steps band wagon, but I wanted to see what another average Joe experienced. As I expected, it went well for Craig and Chyna.

I Love My Walks

The task of hitting 10k steps each day is harder than it seems. It requires time, space, and dedication. My current streak stands at 39 days, a fact I’m proud of. I’d like to hit one-hundred consecutive days if I can. My biggest hurdle will be travel and the weather. Today was a perfect example. Despite being slammed with work, I managed to squeeze in over 11,000 steps while dodging rain drops and the wind.

The thing that keeps me motivated is I love walking. I enjoy strolling through my neighborhood or around one of the nearby parks. Regardless of my mental or emotional state when I start a walk, I feel more relaxed and clear-headed when I finish.

At a time when people want life to slow down, there’s nothing slower than taking time to walk and pray and watch life happen one day at a time.

I’ve walked in the extreme heat and the cold rain, when I’m sad or depressed. I can feel like I’m dragging myself through quick sand just to get out the door, but I never regret a quick turn around the block or late afternoon saunter in the forest. It’s just part of my day, like posting a new blog post or eating breakfast at noon. If the sun comes up, I know I’m going to get my steps.

30 Days is Nothing

My new love is not the result of a 30 trial. I started trying to hit 10,000 steps as far back as 2017. It wasn’t an everyday thing, but 3-4 days a week I’d walk the Sacramento river trail past the Sundial Bridge then loop back home. According to my phone, I’d be faithful to that routine for a month at a time. I’d stop for a few months, then start again.

It’s such an odd journey to get to this point, because it was only late last year (2019) when I realized I like to walk and hike. That’s when I decided to make it a daily part of my life.

My main problem with the Wheezy Waiter 30 day videos is that anyone can do anything for 30 days. I can be (and have been) a vegan, or go without sugar for 30 days. Shoot, I can wear underwear made of cheese or collect fart samples for a month if the money is right. Anyone can. 30 days is not enough time to decide anything, and it certainly isn’t enough time to establish a healthy, life-giving habit.

good Stuff Isn’t Easy

I love my walks. How odd then is it, some days I must push myself to do something I love. I see obvious mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits from walking, and I still have to fight to take the first few steps. (More importantly, what if I gave up after just a 30 day trial?)

What does that say about me? About us as humans? I know I will be happier and more relaxed from the doing- the praying, walking, and writing. Not because I finished these tasks and can now cross them off a list, but because I find life in the doing. So why do I struggle to do them?

Just do It

Instead of deep-diving into my psyche, I’ve got a new answer for questions like this: I DON’T CARE. So what if I struggle to get off the couch to go for a walk? Or if I start a post without a clue of what I want to say? The Lord certainly doesn’t care about my attitude when I turn to Him and say “here I am.” (He does, obviously, but I don’t have to fix myself to come before Him. That’s His job.)

Love Endures

This exact moment and days like today is what loving myself looks like. Thank you Lord. Love is kind and patient, and it endures. Love allows pain to be felt and frustration to be recognized. Then it whispers,”Let’s go for a walk.”

There’s something to be said for going hard at something new for 30 days. We might see we have a talent for a new skill, or discover a potentially life altering new habit. But nothing worth doing happens in a month. The best parts of life come from the slow dedication to the growth of Love in our lives.

My dear Lord. Thank you for walking with me and inviting me into Your spaces. Thank you for teaching me what dedication and endurance look like, and the sweet fruit it supplies. I love our slow walks.

Amen.

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Nik Curfman

I am a writer and artist in the early stages of my trek. I spent 20 years trying to be who I thought I needed to be, and now I am running after who I am. Fearless Grit is my space to document and share the process.

https://fearlessgrit.com