18/366 Sometimes the win is not visible

recently I've learned some important, practical life lessons:

• this is leap year, therefore, the Saturdays in March will not have the same dates as the Saturdays in February (I was really confused last week when I was adding a monthly meeting to my calendar and the date in March was different than I expected-I wondered what was wrong with my phone calendar)
• in regards to that, I need to change my title to (x)/366 being aware of the future has an impact on the present 
• if I forget to add coffee to the basket of my single cup coffee brewer all I get is hot water, not what I am looking for
• if I add grinds to the basket and start the brewer but there's no coffee I  may have forgotten to add the water (two days this week got off to a rough start)
• I am a writer, but only if I am writing
• being a walker begins with lacing up my shoes every day and leaving the house
• a seemingly overwhelming job is manageable if I simply do the next thing
• 2,000 piece puzzles are doable-but it takes time,each piece has more than one connection-and sometimes I have to pick up the same piece multiple times before I find the place it belongs, so don't give up, be patient
• choosing to take better care of myself physically is hard work, it does not come naturally, it takes discipline and willpower
• I need accountability to stay on task, so I need to wear my fitbit as a reminder and motivation
• simply walking is not enough, I need to walk with purpose for it to be most beneficial
• buying a new fitbit that tracks my heart rate is not extravagant, it is an investment in my health

I am on a 12 day streak of walking daily and the day I am most proud of, the one that was the hardest, was not the one where I logged 15,000+ steps and 69 minutes of cardio. Today, with 1 minute of cardio and less than 5,000 steps is my most powerful day to date. How can that be? Because today's walk was a definite choice, with no desire starting out. BUT forcing myself to take off my slippers and put on my shoes, donning a raincoat and opening the door to step out into the chilly, damp, gray day and putting one step in front of the other rewarded me with 2 wonderful reminders. Ones I would have missed had I stayed indoors. (Bonus-I also am still on a walking streak.)

I didn't want wet feet so I chose hiking shoes instead of tennis shoes. I set out determined, it might not be fast and it might not be long, but I was going to get a walk in.

Disgruntled, head mostly down, because when I looked up all I saw were layers of gray clouds, I decided on one lap around the park. (Probably 600 steps, but each one would be a sheer act of my will.)

I turned the last corner and glanced up-blue sky was peeking through. As I focused on that, rather than the clouds, my attitude, my desire and my determination changed. It was not a miserable day after all. It was a beautiful day. I got in my 30 minutes, not of cardio, but of simply walking. This was my biggest win of the week because I won a battle of my mind. 

2 Life lessons: 

• simply taking the first step, especially when you don't feel like it may lead to your biggest victory.
• perspective, what you are focused on seeing, matters

looking to my right, only gray clouds
to my left, bright patches of blue
I could focus on the gloom that had hovered all day and even now was threatening
or I could grab hold of the clearing, of the promise that the storm was passing
today I chose hope