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I want to offer
Rona Goldfarb a special thanks for her inspiration. Here is her
story
Goals
met without knowing . . .
I set goals for myself this summer. One
was to walk 100 cumulative miles. The seed of this idea is
over a year old. A friend told me she had walked 100 miles in
a summer. I was impressed by the wholeness of it, the
roundness of the number. She set the goal and obtained
it. I started thinking about goals in my life. I have
always had the same one; to lose weight. I have done this many
times. I would drop weight only to put it back on again and often, added a few more
pounds for good
luck.
The thought of setting a goal that was not
weight oriented intrigued me. If I only did two miles a day it would
still take 50 days. In the 100 days of summer, it could be
done. As I started to walk the walk, I did some soul
searching, reaching down deep to think about what it really meant to
me. The walk was really so much more than just that. The
miles starting passing without much notice, and the systematic
action of foot in front of foot took on an auto pilot motion.
I was looking at the gardens, smelling the roses here, watching the
tomatoes ripen there, and weaving a pattern for myself that was
comfortable, manageable, and almost effortless. The walk that
started out as a goal, with huffing and puffing
suddenly became easy.
Over the course of the summer, with traveling,
the scenery changed now and then. Corn fields, green and growing in
June were ripe with brown tasseled corn in August. The Acadia
Mountains were rugged, but the paths through them were comfortable,
and offered wonderful views of lakes, waterfalls, and peaceful
forestry. The gardens of flowers and vegetables ripened and fell
from the vines. The miles continued to add up.
I was thinking more, mile after mile, and I
realized, after about mile 35, that the goal wasn’t the 100 miles.
The goal was each step. It was every time I put on my sneakers,
donned my baseball cap, and plugged in my headphones.
All
of it was a gift to me. Every time I walked out the door to start
another walk, it was a goal met and accomplished.
At mile 65 I started to want to walk more at
each outing, three or four miles at a time. By the time I realized
that I was on the last 10 miles, the trees were starting to change
color, and the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet surprised me.
Where did the summer go? I’m starting to think about goals for the
next season.
With bariatric surgery as a tool, I have lost
weight over the past 5 years. The bigger picture is the rest of my
life. For me, one step, one foot in front of the other has been
taking place since I woke up after my surgery. I couldn’t wait to
put my feet on the ground and get started. I embraced exercise and
good nutrition from the start, learning what I could from sources
available to me. I wanted the success, and was willing to commit to
this lifestyle forever
The goals I have accomplished can never be
taken away from me. I will always be grateful to my trainer who
taught me that it isn’t just exercising, it’s doing it with good
form, and eventually making is harder. When I think,
"This isn’t so
hard”, my trainer makes it harder. I have learned from him that the
goal is accomplished the first time I did one of anything. No one
can take that away.
I can gain weight, and lose weight. Two steps
forward and one step back. To walk each and every step is one more
step towards a greater picture. Each step IS the goal
Days of further walking have added to my
insight. Walking my route at home backwards to make the hills
harder made me realize that there are many ways to conquer a goal.
Sometimes something that looks unattainable just needs to be looked
at from a different angle. Walking while on a trip somewhere is a
walk that shows me different views, different people. Walking in
the granite mountains of Maine or through the giant Redwood forests
of California is awe inspiring. We are so little in the scheme of
things, so truly insignificant. My goal of 100 miles is my mountain,
strong and unyielding.
I am a mountain. I am a giant. I can be
strong as the granite, and I can start anew from my own self. All
this insight from a simple step.
I look all around me and I see the imbalance of
the world, the cockeyed view that we all have. Somehow with just a
walk, I feel more in balance. I see the view more clearly. I want
to apply this philosophy to other places in my life. I can pass the
ability to accept the greater good on to my children and grand
children. This will be my legacy.
Only one word is learned at a time to read
Only one look is given to show love
Only one step is needed to walk
I walked the last three miles today. I did
them slow and determined; savoring each and every step. There was
no cheering at the end, no ribbon to break through, but my smile
never left my cheeks. My heart was pumped with the joy of victory.
This goal is complete. There will be others
to accomplish. If I can remember to take the first step towards it,
walk strong and tall, I know that I have started the chain reaction
that will bring me to my goal.
Rona Goldfarb
queenrona@yahoo.com
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Congratulations Rona |
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