Taking The Plunge

(To read more Sunday Citars, visit Tabitia at freshmommyblog.com.)

"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.

Beginning makes the conditions perfect."

~Alan Cohen~

The idea for launching a new blog has been mulling around in my mind for some time now, but I've been putting off committing myself to yet another endeavor due to time limits...or lack of it... plus  I don't feel I've contributed much lately to "Getting Back To Basics"... so why take on more.

While Getting Back To Basics focuses mainly on  home, cooking, gardening and life in general with a few musings of wracked out weirdo tossed into the mix, my interest lately has been shifting more toward finding a balance between working full time and living a healthy active life style.

I started using Nordic walking poles in March and find they're kind of addictive ...yep...sure... roll your eyes...I did my share of eye rolling too before I started but I'm glad I did. Since signing in with the Heart & Stroke Walkabout website a little over a month ago, I've been Walking My Ass Off, literally... hence the name for my new blog. I wear a pedometer now when I walk and record my steps daily on Walkabout. I find doing so helps to keep me accountable and it is my hope that this new blog will also help to keep me on track.

After all...

If I'm gonna talk the talk,

I'd better be prepared to

walk the walk!

I will still be posting here,

but you're quite welcome to pop over for a visit at

Walking My Ass Off.

Hope you find something there to interest you.

Happy walking,
Marisa

INTO THE DARKNESS...THEY'RE HERE!

I like to walk daily, just 20 minutes in the early morning before moms with their kiddies walk through the door, which this time of the year means walking in the dark. Although it sometimes requires a lot of effort to leave the coziness of my  bed, once past the thresh hold I always enjoy the exercise, the fresh air and the quiet stillness of the early hours...the morning belongs to me.

I have never really been bothered by the dark, except for being nervous of the possibility of a sudden run in with a skunk. As for encounters with the two legged persuasion, I've always been able to dismiss my fear by telling myself... what would anyone want with an old thing like me... even though I know that someone in that frame of mind is probably not going to be very picky.

Three winters ago, while cross country skiing on my own, I  witnessed  several hawks, at least seven,  feasting on a deer carcass on a frozen pond.  While in awe of the size and wing span of these birds and their majestic beauty as they soared above my head and swooped down to feed, I felt immense sadness for the fate of the deer, brought down by what I  now believe were coyotes. The hawks were just helping them self to the leftovers...the way of the wild.

Picture found at at free-extras.com.

The death of singer/songwriter Taylor Mitchell in Oct. .2009 by two coyotes while hiking on Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and all the talk that followed caused me some concern but did not interrupt my routine, after all...that happened in Cape Breton, not my back yard...as long as I didn't allow my mind to wonder to the "what if's" I was fine.

But a  recent conversation with an elderly uncle who just happens to be an avid hunter has opened my eyes. He was lamenting the fact that he didn't bag a deer this year due to what he believes is the increasing coyote population..."there are no deer or rabbits around this year he says."  I too had been noticing the lack of deer or rabbit tracks in our neck of the woods, something always plentiful in the past...but there are plenty of other "dog like" tracks around.

... and then there are the daily accounts in the news  of  "run ins"  with aggressive coyotes.

..so perhaps it is time to be afraid.. to be very afraid...

...they are here, 

...and I am now afraid of walking alone in the dark.

...especially down over the hill which is bordered on each side by deep woods.

...but I have not given up my walks

...I am just better prepared.

I have always made it a habit of wearing a safety vest for visibility and carried a  small flashlight to light  my footpath, but I now carry a larger, brighter flashlight which I am constantly shinning  into the edge of the woods, fields and orchard looking for any signs. I also carry a whistle to hopefully scare away any animals.

...and something I never thought I would ever do...

I'm packing a weapon

...just in case the whistle doesn't work!

MOVE

Jamie's question today for Wish casting Wednesday is:

What do you wish to say yes to?

I would like to say "YES" to movement, specifically... exercise. I have a home gym in my basement that has been gathering dust since last winter. I have a tread mill, an elliptical machine, a weight bench, a reclining ab bench, a rowing machine, a trampoline, and a stepper, not to mention numerous balance balls, free weights and workout DVDs. While taking advantage of the weather and choosing walking instead of exercise equipment has been working for me all summer, I have really fallen off the wagon the last month or two. Except for belly dance lessons twice a week, my workouts have been limited to intervening in disputes between a bunch of two and three year old's. It just seems that lately it's just too easy to say "no" to anything requiring exertion. In fact, tonight was the first time I've gone for a walk in two weeks.

But starting now, I am going to rekindle my relationship with my sadly neglected equipment in the basement. Instead of giving it discouraging and guilty glances, I am going to going to jump on and move...well some...one step at a time!