These "boots" were made for walkin'....

...and that's just what I did! Dawn, I hope your weekend was fantastic and filled with relaxation and fun! I can't wait to catch up with you. So, yesterday I woke at my normal time because my husband had to work this weekend. I woke up with him, downed my first 2 glasses of water for the day... it's like medicine, I tell ya'- those first 2 glasses always taste so harsh to me, especially compared to the sugary juices that I'm accustomed to. I learned that from an old trainer who said that the first thing she does when she wakes up is go to the sink and drink 2 glasses of water... she said it's a good habit, because you start the day with hydration, and you train your body to expect water first. After those first 2 glasses, though, I'm good to go- it seems to get me in a water-drinking routine for the day. Whatever works, right? So, as I was saying... I woke at my normal time, 6:00 even though it was a Saturday to a cool, low-humidity morning with the beautiful sun peeking and beckoning me through my living room window. The city outside seemed to glow with a purple-lavender light- the old, grayish buildings taking on the magic hues of a Van Gogh painting... I think the world is so beautiful at that time of day! It's the time when it feels like the slates are clean and there is an innocence and a knowing all at once. In my favorite book by C.S. Lewis "Til' We Have Faces", the princess goes to look for her sister who swears that she is living in a beautiful, luxurious palace that is invisible to the eye of those who don't believe in it. After arguing with her sister extensively to come home, the princess begins to leave, and then she turns around to bid her sister farewell. In the pink and lavender light of the early morning, she catches the briefest glimpse of the palace in all of it's glory just as the sister had described it, and it shakes all of her foundations of what she was sure was true.
There is the feeling of magic this morning! Granted, not every morning.... when I'm rushing to work, it's a different story. But when I really have the time to take it all in, well...
It was all of this that lead me outside to the park for a walk. That's it- I just couldn't take it anymore- I HAD to go! Which is the best feeling... I put my earphones in to block out the sound of my heavy panting as I climbed the hill, and I thought to myself "I can't stand the inside of a gym on a day like today." As I neared the park, I passed a few people walking their dogs.... a few couples arm in arm, making their way to the farmer's market. We passed each other is silence, and whether they noticed my heavy breathing or not, I didn't care... I just walked. It was my date with myself and the magic of the hour.