Walk it off

In my experience, walking has always been meditative for me, I just didn't know that it was at the time I just knew it made me happy.

The first two walks I remember are total opposites' one good , one traumatizing, the good was at my elementary school open house on Halloween when I was in kindergarten, I won a cake of my choice during the cake walk, I will never forget that feeling.

The second walk to remember is also one that's unforgettable just not in a good way, it was around a year later and my aunt and were walking home when suddenly three huge dogs came charging us from down the alley way, I was scared stiff I couldn't move but thankfully the dogs stopped and didn’t hurt us, I mean a little pee never really hurt a kid right? I was washable.

Now I always enjoyed walking places or even up and down the block with my neighbor, until I was old enough to go all the way around it.

But then the adventures began, and I was walking to friends’ homes, and stores places because I was bored, at the time it was the thing to do, but when I turned twelve I started walking with purpose.

I weighed three hundred lbs., I had diabetes and I almost died in a diabetic coma, so to take care of myself I listened to my dietician and started my new diet and exercise routines.

"Walk it off girl", she told me.

I guess that was supposed to encourage me, but it really did.

I had my exercise routine that I ended with a walk, which did not have to Be a certain time or distance just whatever I felt like doing.

I do not know what it was but putting in my headphones and playing my favorite songs just me a sidewalk and my music, it was pure serenity.

Quite often I passed my house, I was in the zone, I never realized I was meditating, but my chakras were lined up for the moment.

My best friends and I started a newspaper route and every afternoon and Saturday night we would have a blast walking those familiar 6 blocks. On Saturday nights we got to stay out past midnight and we had so much fun just throwing papers and acappella singing our favorite songs, I was a lead singer so that helped, and seeing the boys from school didn’t hurt either, I just knew that good times or bad a walk was the cure all.

I remember being told to just “walk away “if I were angry so as not to do something I would regret,

I took that to heart I was known for storming off and disappearing for a while when I was upset.

I would walk off aimlessly until I got to tired and went home or got lost and had to find my way home.

I found peace in those beat your feet moments, joy and happiness making memories with my best friends, meeting boys, sneaking out at night, and honestly bonding with my sister.

She is four years younger; her name is Kailey.

We did not get along to often so when I invited her to go for a walk, she always got excited to go and never said no, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I am not sure if it was the easy-going conversations we finally shared, or just the walk itself, but I do know me, and my sister got a lot closer on our afternoon walks.

I lost one hundred pounds, I got healthier physically and mentally and emotionally, my whole life evolved through walking.