I have been doing “daily steps” now for over two years. Mostly out in nature in West Sussex where I live, by the sea, on the downs etc.
Then, about a year ago, what started as a lock-down sanity-check, started to evolve into a kind of discipline where I have now managed to sustain a 70,000 a week “streak” for just over a year, (a fact I can hardly believe myself not being a disciplined person by nature).
However, fuelled by this modest success, I recently started to become a little fanatical at times in order to fit the steps in (particularly on these short winter days).
So, the other day, I was taken aback by something my mother inadvertently said to me (as I was trying to fit in some early steps while waiting to drive her somewhere) and which made me see this whole process in a completely different light.
Me: I’m just popping out to get steps Mum…
Mum: (looking quizzical) Get steps? From a shop? What do you mean?
Me: No! Around the block… while I am waiting for you to get ready…
Mum: Ah! You mean you are going for a lovely walk!
And then it hit me that by continually using the phrase “get steps”, I had started to experience them less as a lovely walk to enjoy, but rather as (yet) another thing to tick of my list. It was a reminder to me that “how” we do things is as important as getting them done, and to slow down and again take time to savour my “lovely walks”.