Somewhat clear skies

We’re still under an air quality alert (because of the wildfire smoke), but today the atmosphere was much better than last Wednesday afternoon.

And the temps were a little cooler with a nice breeze.

We’ve been able to get out and enjoy the park again.

I just love visiting parks tucked away in neighborhoods near our house. The neighborhood parks feature a playground with paved walking paths good for walking and riding bikes or even skating.

One of my favorite features is how the walking paths go around the playground making it easier for us to keep an eye on the kids while we walk.

It feels good to see people out jogging, walking, riding bikes, and playing at the playground again.

Last week’s thick smoke made everything look like a ghost town because no one was out walking in the neighborhood or at the parks. Traffic was even lighter than usual.

I know the kids are thrilled to be back at the playground.

They’ve had the best time going to the park three days in a row. They asked me if we can go everyday. Lol 😅

Travis and I enjoy walking together while the kids play at the playground, so I think we just might make evening walks part of our nightly routine! ☺️

💜 XO


Happy Friday

Three things to reflect on in honor of September 11th.

The Day I Restarted My Walking Routine

Today, I finally made it to the local indoor track to go walking. It felt good to get back to my exercise routine. I got off track with it a few months ago, breaking my 3-year streak of daily walking. 🫤

Why? Oh, because…life! Things have been seriously so busy since the fall.

It’s true what they say when you stop habitually exercising—you start to feel strange.

I have felt kind of off these past three months because I haven’t been walking consistently. I even gained a little weight. 😫

It felt good to get back to my exercise routine of low-impact walking!

About a week ago, I brought up my weight gain to my doctor. Feeling kind of embarrassed, I said to her, “I know I need to lose a little weight.”

But her response to me really surprised to me. She said what matters is I am healthy and I am doing good with my health.

That made me feel good. I thought to myself, Maybe I’m not doing so bad after all!

We can be our own worst critic, unfortunately. I know I can be pretty hard on myself about so many things.

I do feel proud of myself that my annual checkup results showed I am in good health. I was very anxious about that, as I have a fear of doctors and hospitals because of a past medical trauma I experienced when I was pregnant in 2020.

I’m easing back into my daily walking routine, and I will continue to focus on taking good care of my health.

And I will remember to be gentle with myself—because after all, it is okay to start over again.