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.