trying to do better....

...along with everyone else on the planet who made a promise to theirself, or vow instead of a sure-to-fail resolution. I had sort of let my daily walking efforts slide in recent weeks, and have not been diligent about getting some exercise on a regular basis. Legitimizing lazy, excusing myself from the effort on days when I would be working, on my feet for hours on end. While knowing that for my joints, heart, overall health I need to be more diligent.

So I have been to the mall several times in the past couple of weeks, when the weather has been cold or wet, to do my walking in a more conducive environment. But - oddly enough, have had to relocate on a couple of occasions. Surprised by finding that the mall would be closing early... something I did not expect, never thought would happen. I guess I must have been there on New Year's Eve? or New Year's Day? When business was slim-to-none, and people were simply not in the shopping mood? I'd go in from the JCP end, walk the loop around Penney's and then find the sliding doors that open into the mall space closed... strange...

When I asked an employee and found that JCP was staying open later than the mall, I was perplexed, and plan for walking a couple of miles went awry. But, clever me: I went to walk at Wallyworld! Making a loop around the outer perimeter, inside the store. Walking from the front entrance, past the bakery deli area, all the way along the refrigerated cases, back to dairy - across the back of the store, through baby goods, electronics, camping, goods, tires and batteries, up the far side, through the left-over seasonal markdowns, into pet supplies, and on to HBA and pharmacy. Make a U-turn in the cold-flu meds, and start in reverse.

Yes- crazy, but where else could I go and walk for a couple of miles, to and fro, and burn those irresponsible calories? Safe, well-lighted, warm, dry, relatively clean, smooth and flat... the only problem is how easy it is to get distracted with consumerism.

Even though I have done it three times, in three different stores, over the past couple of weeks, I have only been lured into buying something one time. It was actually a pretty interesting little item, that would be very handy for someone who often wears a ball-type cap: a little flashlight with a very bright beam, you can clip onto the bill of your hat, and aim at whatever you are tinkering with under the hood of your car, or out in the dark at your campsite, or even those things that might go bump in the dark under the bed...