Sunday Read: Walking through the Journey

I got moving for my health and along the way I discovered happiness

Time to think

I am visiting friends and family in Minnesota this weekend. As I write this, I am sitting on the deck of a cabin on one of the gorgeous Whitefish chain lakes and watching a loon nest in the lagoon. I’m very fortunate to have incredible people who give me these moments.

It’s provided me some time to think and appreciate nature, and the nature of this last year and a half or so. In February of last year my doctor told me that my health was in danger, and I needed to lose weight and get things under control. Both my parents suffered from heart disease, and heart attacks and my mother had a stroke and was also diabetic before she passed way too soon.

I told the doctor that there was only so much I could do with fake knees, a fused foot, torn rotator cuffs, and the myriad of injuries and chronic conditions I managed to obtain over a lifetime of athletics and military service.

He looked me straight in the eyes like a child and said, “You can walk. Go walk.”

So, I did. In the snow.

Very first walk on the journey

As long as I’m here

I made a commitment that I would walk every day for at least 3.1 miles. Essentially a 5K a day. I started off slowly and just kept going. Immediately, I started slipping into old competitive Army habits of tracking my pace, distance, altitude, heart rate, and every other bit of data minutia.

Then it struck me on day. It didn’t matter for the long haul. This wasn’t going to be quick. Walking and eating better while working as a professional weren’t going to be an overnight success. In the past I always tried to get it done in a few weeks and failed.

In a relatively short time, I made the decision that I wouldn’t obsess over my pace, or setting personal records, or really any numbers aside from getting out every day and going at least 3.1 miles. That was it. Go out and do it. Somedays I ended up going for 6 miles. Some days I barely squeezed in the 3.1. I even missed several days but I just got back at it and kept going. Over and over.

One of the things that struck me at the beginning of the process was remembering how that although my father lived into his 80’s he didn’t have the opportunity to really enjoy it with the health issues that he faced. I remember visiting Smoky Mountains National Park with him, my mother, and then wife, Jennifer. He couldn’t join me for a short hike up a hill to see a waterfall due to his difficult health conditions.

Richmond from the James River

I have kids and grandkids that I’d love to explore the world with. At that point I had worked very hard to mentally accept that I was going to be around for a while. So, I decided to then make the effort to be physically healthy enough to enjoy it too.

Walking leads to discovery

Along the way something amazing happened. I fell in love with the journey. It quickly stopped being a mission I had to accomplish to keep the doctor happy or make the pounds go away. Instead, it became intertwined with my overall happiness. At some point the goal melted away and the journey took over.

Instead of just walking around the neighborhood I sought out nearby parks. If I traveled for work, I would pick hotels close to parks and paths that would allow me to squeeze in five or six miles of hikes. When I drove long distances, I would pad the trip to stop at state and national parks on the route to explore.

Short hikes became long ones. Quick walks became extended expeditions. I became obsessed with seeing what was around the next curve in the trail or over that hill. I even started calling it “Around the Next Corner Syndrome” to describe my growing obsession with going further and seeing more.

Olympic National Park

When I traveled I took the sidewalks instead of the taxis. Since I started I’ve walked or hiked in four countries, at least 12 states, national and state parks, capitals, and everything in between to the tune of over 2000 miles.

Pena Palace above Sintra, Portugal

Business partners and friends began to figure out I was likely walking, and it was a good time to call and chat. I got business done on the back trails, paths, and sidewalks of whatever area I was in at that moment. I would pick routes based on cell phone coverage to ensure I could do my work, and do the work now to make sure I’d be around to do the work later.

Nature makes its play

The best part was reconnecting with nature daily. I’ve never done a treadmill walk yet. Each day I strip down, or bundle up, as necessary and head out. I’ve taken thousands of pictures. Stopped to smell the flowers. Listened to the birds. Stopped on the sides of mountains, lakes, rivers, and caves to enjoy the moments I’ve stumbled onto.

Dawn on the National Mall

My brain craves it as much as my body. The peace that comes with the solitude and the easing of my mind that comes with the steady pace of walking is unmatched by anything in my life to give me a clarity of mind and easing of stress. If I’m ramping up about some issue or stressing out my girlfriend always says, “you didn’t walk today, did you?” She is almost always right and off I go to at least hit the streets in the neighborhood and hear some birds.

Bennett Spring Natural Tunnel, Missouri

The journey itself has become an integral part of my life. It’s a long journey. I was worried when I went for my second six-month check up with the doctor. My weight loss had plateaued, and I was concerned I’d lost some progress. He ran the labs and showed me that literally every single possible measure of health in my exam was better and normal. I have probably not been this healthy since I was in the Army.

So, now I drink the wine. I enjoy the meal. I savor the moments of life. Then I get out and walk.

I have asked myself is a successful life based on goals or the journey?

I now think it’s the journey. Take your time to walk it so you don’t miss anything.

Notes:

Thank you for joining me on this journey too. I hope you’ll subscribe to the MeidasTouch Network as well to catch all of our On Democracy podcasts, hot takes, and shorts. Here is the latest show with Tim Miller of the Bulwark.