Hello, gentle readers. During this morning's walk, I was pulled away from my reading three times by fellow walkers. The first was an older woman who walked past me before I reached the last tenth of a mile before the halfway point to say "Looking good!" I thanked her very much, gave her a smile and kept going. Later, when I came out of a tunnel that goes beneath the local highway and came to a small uphill zig zag back to the last stretch of walk near the river, two women walking what looked like Toto said "Wow, you're doing great! How much weight have you lost?" I said "Fifty pounds" (nice round number; going into specifics ruins the effect) and they said "That's great, keep up the good work!" I said "Thank you very much, have a great day!" Another couple tenths of a mile and I looked up again as a Hispanic woman said, "Good morning, my skinny friend." She had complimented me a week before on how great I was doing and how I had inspired her, and I gave her a smile and a good morning too.
Although I tend to be rather introverted and find that reading lets my feet do the walking and my mind do the wandering to the point where I thankfully lose track of how far I've walked and how far I have to go until I look up for a moment to acknowledge my surroundings, I do appreciate my fellow walkers for their kind words, smiles and encouragement that motivate me to keep up what I have dubbed "the Good Work." Sometimes self-talk or inspirational reading can only take you so far; a kind word (or several) from another human being goes a long way. Thanks again, ladies.
That's fantastic, John! Good for you!
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