The Season Of Giving

I'm starting to get asked more frequently now, "What diet are you on?"

My response of I'm not on a diet is usually met with incredulous looks before the next question of "Oh, well what kind of exercise are you doing?"

I walk.

Yup, I have become a walker. I'm like the Energizer Bunny – I just keep going, and going, and going...

Listen, a few short months ago, walking to the end of the drive was a big deal. I was morbidly obese and suffered from horrific edema. My feet and ankles didn't even resemble feet and ankles. My legs were like tree trunks. Finding shoes that fit properly was a challenge. Walking was not only difficult, but painful.

In addition to the other b'zillion changes that have occurred since I began consuming raw, living foods, I feel (and look) like I've been wrung out to dry. All that excess fluid my body was hanging onto is gone. Ohmygosh, I have ankles. Who knew?

So, yeah, I walk. And, I walk with gratitude each day. Because I can.

BENEFITS OF WALKING

• Burns stored fat
• Strengthens back muscles
• Easy on your joints
• Shapes and tones your legs and butt
• Reduces stress
• Reduces risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
• Can be done almost anywhere
• Requires no equipment
• It's Free!

The routine the last few months has been to roll out of bed and hit the pavement. I'll typically walk anywhere from 3-5 miles each morning and another three miles each evening. I also enjoy spending time in the woods, so in addition to the daily routine, I'll take a nice long hike several times during the week.

I don't know what it's like by you, but here, it feels like autumn lasted about a millisecond. Winter has arrived. We've been hammered with snow the past couple of weeks. My walking partner Maya, the Siberian husky, thinks she's died and gone to heaven. Me? Not so much.

It's cold. It's dark outside. I have too much to do.

I know myself all too well and, trust me, the excuses will only increase now that the holiday season is upon us. So, I am enlisting your help to keep my walking on track.

You hear how the world is a mess
Every time you turn on the news,
But all countries could have happiness,
If they'd be walking a mile in each others shoes!
~ Jan Nigro, Walk A Mile

I want to walk a mile in your shoes

For every random act of kindness you perform this holiday season, I will walk one mile between now and the New Year. Just contact me here and post in the Comments what you've done. I'll even give you the date and time of your walk, so you can cheer me on, or better yet, join me.

There are many ways we can give during the holidays without making a trip to the mall. The spirit of the season can best be expressed through the joy of caring and sharing. Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone's life forever.

• Visit a nursing home and spend time with someone who doesn't get visitors.
• Volunteer a couple hours of your time at a local homeless shelter, crisis nursery or soup kitchen.
• Bake some holiday goodies and take them over to the fire station.
• Request one of the many “letters to Santa” that your post office receives at this time of year. Play Santa Claus and send something on the list in time for Christmas.
• Write a note of appreciation to your mailman.
• Cut coupons out and leave them at the grocery register for others.
• Send a card to someone in the military overseas.
• Shovel your elderly neighbor’s driveway or clean the snow off their car.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
~ Aesop, The Lion And The Mouse

Please perform one random act of kindness during the holidays – get creative – post here what you have done, and I'll walk a mile in your shoes. What do you have to lose? Maybe a few extra pounds? (wink)

I wish you all a wonder-filled holiday season, overflowing with love and beauty!

Additional Ways To Show Your Kindness

The Holiday Project: Enriches the experience of the holidays by arranging visits to people confined to nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions.

Operation Christmas Child: Brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love.

Seva Foundation: For thirty years now, Seva has served people around the world who are struggling for health, cultural survival and sustainable communities. We call it compassion in action.

Adopt A Native American Elder: Provides food, simple medicines, clothing, fabric, and yarns to help these elders live on the land in their traditional lifestyle.

Operation Shoe Box: Sends support, snacks and much needed personal care items to our troops deployed outside of the USA.

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