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May you always walk in sunshine

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:11:08 -0400

Day 366 - 6.92 miles (2,333.2 total)
I didn’t quite know what to write about today — the last entry and the last walk to complete my goal of walking two hours a day, every day, for a year. So I went back to the beginning. My first post from Saturday, March 26, 2001 was headlined: “Find the beauty all around you,” which became the driving force behind this project.

I discovered the beauty around me. But more importantly, I found myself along the way. It was an unintended consequence. I walked to lose weight and get in shape. I walked to learn more about my community and the people who live in it. I walked to have adventures. I have experienced all those things and more.

So what am I going to do tomorrow? The first order of business is to take the day off. Still, I’m not going to hang up the shoes for long. I plan to keep walking, though not two hours each and every day. Walking has become an important part of my life and I plan to keep it up.

In many ways, walking has been a selfish endeavor. I have taken away two hours from my family each day for my own benefit. I missed school events, family dinners and time working around the house. I plan to finish remodeling our upstairs bathroom, which has been on hold for the past year.

I also plan to give back. I discovered that two hours is a meaningful amount of time. Over the past year, I have used two hours a day to help myself. Over the next year, I plan on devoting two hours a day (though I’m not going to be as strict about doing it every single day) volunteering to help others. I’m also going to encourage others to do the same. Look for a volunteering website coming soon, a place that will be much more collaborative than my own ramblings on walktwohours.com.

So stay tuned. This walk is over, but the journey is far from complete.

I’ll leave you with this: Do not underestimate what is possible. Do not underestimate what you can do for yourself and others. Take chances. Challenge yourself. Set high standards, but be kind and forgiving to yourself if you don’t achieve everything you want.

Thanks again for following my walks and reading this blog. Again, your support and kind words mean the world to me. Until we meet again, may you always walk in sunshine.

Rob

What I’ve learned: gratitude

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:36:07 -0400

Day 365 - 5.97 miles (2,326.28 total)
I have one day of walking left to complete my year and this will be the last post describing things I learned walking two hours a day. Today I will talk about the most important lesson of all: gratitude. I am deeply grateful for all the questions, comments, support, kind words and encouragement I have received from you over the course of the last year.

I can’t remember how many times I’ve been asked, “Are you still walking everyday?” When I responded that I was, I was always asked about how it was going and encouraged to continue. Those kind thoughts helped me along.

I heard words of encouragement from family, friends and total strangers. I heard from people that I inspired them to start walking and exercising (those meant the most to me). I also heard from people who were keeping track of my progress and adventures. It is a bit surreal to know so many of you followed along with my journey. When I started this, I never thought anyone would care.

But some of you certainly did, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Tomorrow marks the end of this journey, but not the end. I have other adventures waiting for me, some that I will tell you about tomorrow. For now, I will leave you with my deepest thanks. I appreciated your e-mails. I appreciated your honks as you passed me on the road. I appreciated your smiles when I passed by your stores. I appreciated the words of encouragement. And I appreciated my family — especially my wife Stephanie — who I found waiting for me at home when I would get back from my two hours, usually with a simple question and a hug: “How was your walk?”

My walk was great.

What I’ve learned: beauty

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:25:20 -0400

Day 364 - 6.38 miles (2,320.31 total)
We live in a beautiful world. I take the time to notice the beauty around me every day, but it is especially apparent in the spring. Today I walked through Aman Park off Lake Michigan Drive and the woods are exploding with flowers, critters and colors (though way too early in the year).

I’ve learned that there is beauty all around us if we just take the time to look for it. That is one of the lessons I’ve learned walking two hours a day for the past year. Even though my allergies are killing me this fall, I decided it was time to hit the woods today at Aman Park. I figured the rain would knock down the allergens a bit. Regardless of how stuffed my head will end up later, it was worth every step.

Wildflowers are beginning to pop through the dead leaves. Trillium, May apple and other plants are springing up from the forest floor. I saw a good sized garter snake and a very large snapping turtle in the creek. The green buds on all the trees makes the wooded area look alive.

It was a beautiful walk. But I have found just as much beauty in the old section of Milan, Italy, in the deserts surrounding Dubai, the skyscrapers of Chicago and dusty country roads. I feel sorry for those who can’t see the beauty around them, or worse yet, choose to ignore it.

What I’ve learned: strength

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:52:43 -0400

Day 363 - 5.93 miles (2,313.93 total)
I have walked two hours a day for a year and I have never felt stronger in my life. Over the course of the year, I have learned how to be stronger, both physically and mentally. I am by no means in tip-top shape, but I’m in a heckuva lot better shape than I was a year ago.

When you walk as much as I have over the past year, the hills flatten out (even The Hill) and the miles pass under your shoes easier each time you go out. And yet it all started with a single step, as every workout program does.

I’ve also strengthened my mind along the way (though it is harder to show off my mental muscles than it is to show off my burley calf muscles). Walking exercises your entire body and your mind. I’ve learned about strength over the past year. I am a physically and mentally stronger person than I was when I started.

What I’ve learned: community

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:52:33 -0400

Day 362 - 7.12 miles (2,308 total)
Over the course of the last year, a lot of people have asked me if I have ever been scared to walk through a neighborhood. And in all honesty, I have not. I have walked through every neighborhood in this community, including every neighborhood in Grand Rapids and suburban settings like East Grand Rapids, Rockford, Wyoming, Grandville, Holland, Grand Haven, et. al.

Since most of my two hour walks have started and ended at my West Side home, most of my walks take me though the West Side, often down Bridge or Fulton streets or Lake Michigan Drive. I have always loved living on the West Side, but I have learned much about what it takes to cultivate a sense of community.

Walking does a good job of creating a true sense of community. You have chance encounters walking that you do not experience driving. I’ve met many new people in my neighborhood. When you know them, you tend to care about them. And when you care about someone, you create community.

So no, I’m never scared walking in my neighborhood — in my community. My neighbors have my back and I have theirs.