Another Day

Today, as predicted, was a whole lot like yesterday.  I got in some pedestrianism, snapped a few photos, and cooked some lucky black eye peas for dinner.  That last thing was a little unusual, and I'm not sure I'm too keen on repeating it anytime soon, but you get the picture.

Fitch Bridge near Sunset

Slate gray and windy are ramping up their presence, so these types of photos may become the order of the day as the Dark Ages tighten their grip. For now, I welcome the brisker weather for it will remind me to embrace the heat of August next year.

Happy New Year.  It was good day.

Closing 2015 on a High Note

I feel quite good closing out calendar year 2015 on a high note.  Today, I ended the month of December with 415.77 total miles of deliberate pedestrian activity.  This beats my previous record of just over 413 miles in one month that was set a year ago in December 2014.

Anacostia Morning with USS Barry

Not only did I set my own personal best distance during a one month period, but I also improved my average per mile pace compared to last year.  In December 2014 my average pace was 16' 46" per mile.  I actually remember thinking that this pace, at the time, seemed pretty brisk.  Three hundred and sixty five short days later, my average pace for a slightly greater distance came in at 15' 59".  Over the course of the month that is a bit over five hours less walking time.

I'm looking forward to seeing what calendar year 2016 will bring my way, and I'm grateful that I've learned that whatever that may be it will unfold one day, one hour, one moment at a time.  I'm also grateful for the truth of incremental progress and just how powerful that concept proves to be.

It was a great day, a great month, and a great year.  I'm looking forward to experiencing tomorrow.

Today Was Just Another Day, and That's Just the Way It Should Happen

Today was just about like any other weekday over the past year or so.  I put in some miles.  I completed what needed to be done at work.  I'd like to think I followed through on what I said I'd accomplish, and I tried a new sandwich in the work cafeteria since my routine sandwich was sold out.

Anacostia Morning with USS Barry

Even the photo of the Barry this morning very closely resembles what it looked like yesterday. 

We're coming up on the tick of the clock that will mark the end of calendar year 2015 and the beginning of calendar year 2016. There will be some talk of new beginnings and New Year resolutions.  Gym membership will spike, and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people will stay up till midnight local time to celebrate the passing of a an "old" year and the start of a new one.

I'm happy to report that I finding it vanishingly unlikely that I'll be an active participant in any of that activity. I've learned, albeit far too tardily, that none of those things seem to relate to how life actually works.  I don't have to promise to make a new me in the new year because for an entire calendar year now I've been incrementally pursuing the mastery of the things that I find fulfilling and those things that are most important to me. 

Life really is a series of very small events that either lead to incremental improvement or incremental devolution. The things that are most important are not measured in a time scale associated with years or months, or even weeks. Doing the next right thing on a day for day basis is how things really get done. When I'm lucky, I can narrow my focus to the moment or the second or the blink of an eye that is happening "right now."

I finally heard this lesson and started taking it onboard about three years ago.  Walking has helped me gather the evidence to turn a small amount of faith in this process into a solid belief. Daily practice has allowed me to hone the ability to try to live every day in this manner.

Today marked the beginning and end of important milestones in my life, but those milestones look an awful lot like the milestones from yesterday.  It was another great day, and with any manner of good luck tomorrow will be that way as well.

Easing Back Into a Routine

I don't like to admit it, but I am a creature of habit. While I like to think of myself as adventurous and free thinking, if I am honest about the way things really are, I am most comfortable when operating in a world of small adventures within a routine.  I once again made it through the relative chaos of the Christmas season with the disruption of normally scheduled events and the compression of months worth of expectations down into the space of twenty four to forty eight hours.

The last five days have been surprising, a little unsettling, busy, and even fun, but now that I'm easing back into my more familiar routine, I find that I can feel more centered.  Concentration and appreciation for smaller variances is simpler, and I just feel quite a bit more content. I don't think I'm a grinch, but I'd prefer a more experiential holiday experience than the retail fueled maniacism that the winter festival seems to have become.

All that aside, it's good to ease back into the routine.

Anacostia Morning with the USS Barry

Speaking of routine, I'm happy to report that the ex-USS Barry is still moored in the Anacostia River, and I fully expect it to be there tomorrow as well.  While there seems to be a new pier going in just downriver from this location, the ship is not yet being prepared for it's final tow down the river  from the Washington Navy Yard.

Supreme Court of the United States

As far as people watching, this time of year in Washington, DC yields a sparser set of diversions than the normally bustling metropolis when the Federal Government is truly up and running at full speed. I did receive one of the warmest greetings in reply to what I hope is a friendly salutation offered to just about everyone I pass on the street. My "Howdy" was met with a big smile and a wave from a fellow pedestrian traveller who was taking a break against one of the many wrought iron fences that adorn the front of the numerous rowhouses and townhouses in the vicinity of Capitol Hill. That passing of a greeting and a smile put a spring in my step for the final three miles of the day.

Another good day passes into the books, and another one looms on the horizon if I'm lucky.

Rest Day

No pictures today to accompany this post, and I'm a little disappointed in my inability to capture anything that meets my relatively low criteria for being a sharable grouping of pixels. Be that as it may, I'm chalking today's performance overall to being a day of probably much needed rest.

A cousin of mine brought the following truism to my attention today, and I think that it applies to how today unfolded for me.  She noted that, "What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it's supposed to be." I know that when I started today, I didn't think I would only get in about four miles of walking and scalp about nine miles off a hard earned cushion.  It was not a disastrous result, but it did leave me feeling a bit disappointed.  That's the picture in my head that was clearly not accurate earlier this morning.

I did manage to complete the rest of what's become my daily practice, and that's re-set my outlook a bit.  It leads me to chalk up the lack of photography and the relatively short walk as a much needed day of rest. I'm looking forward to see what tomorrow will hold.

Optimistic Awakenings

Today we caught the early morning showing of "Star Wars Episode VII...The Force Awakens," and from my perspective the film lives up to it's substantial billing. The movie was excellent and will introduce a whole new generation to the epic odyssey that I was first introduced to in the late 1970's.  The story line from the original trilogy holds together nicely, and though the technology of movie making has grown substantially over the intervening twenty eight years, there did not appear to be too much reliance on computer generated graphics and animation.  I'm sure it was there, but the blending of real world scenery, animatronics, and computer generated effects gave the newest installment the same feel as the original movies.  The film is a well done and worthy successor to the original cannon.

A movie like this sparks the imagination, and kicked off what turned out to be a good long day on the trail as well as an optimistic series of reflections fed by the overlying audio of TED Talks on the Future.  It did not hurt that the weather was more consistent with early springtime temperatures in the low 70's with more than a hint of blue sky shining through the occasional clouds.

Fitch Bridge over College Creek looking North toward Hospital Point

I have grown to appreciate the chance that these long walks give me to reflect on my environment, my evolving role in the world, and the optimism with which I am more able to look forward (though not too far forward) into the future. Walking is a world that, by its nature, is defined by the next short steps. It's a world where you can look to the horizon and imagine what it is going to be like when you get there, but the horizon is many steps and minutes, if not hours, away. The only way to get there is to take one next step over and over again. In this manner, you can make progress, but you are better served not getting too far ahead of yourself and looking back has limited utility as well.  It is good to glance over your shoulder now and then to make sure the weather isn't indicating a pending requirement for more appropriate clothing, but that's about the end of the utility there.

Hospital Point on a glorious Winter Day

Today, I covered just over seventeen miles, and I did that distance over ground that was never more than about two miles as the foot falls from my starting location. I covered the same general  between one and four times, and I never got bored. As the day wore on, the environment ebbed and flowed just enough to always keep things interesting. I'm also growing to appreciate covering the same ground time and time again because it forces me to stay in tune with the way the world is unfolding around me. Nothing is ever so static as to preclude a sense of wonder if I'm open to the possibility of being surprised and the opportunity to observe and learn something new.

College Creek Sunset

I wrapped up the day with another unique sunset that left me with a sense of warmth and connection to the palette of the universe.  It was another great day on the trail, and I hope to have another one that's similar but completely unique tomorrow.