Surprise Walk

Sometimes Susan surprises me. After days or weeks of refusing to do anything that I suggest, suddenly she will pop up and do something that seems grand and glorious to me, like water her plants, straighten her bedroom or go for a walk! That’s right- go for a walk!

Yesterday in fact, Susan actually walked with me for over a mile. Ok! so it really was more like a leisurely stroll down a country road, but she did it! I asked her if she wanted to go- knowing she’d likely say, “no, it’s too hot” or “too cold” or “the wind is blowing,” but I asked anyway. She surprised me; she said, “yes.”

I didn’t want to push her because I knew that if I did, it was certain to be our last walk; so I went slower than I would have liked- finding her pace- not mine.

She surprised me with her persistence. After all, it was getting a little later in the day than I would normally walk, resulting in the sun beaming down on her double layer shirts and long pants. Whenever I turned to check on her she insisted that she was fine as she kept on keeping on. She did complain about the heat, the roads, the wildlife, the time of day and many other things- but not once did she complain about the walk.

My hope that she would do it again was elevated when she began to talk about next time. Next time means that she will walk again with me- next time!!

I’ve got it all figured out, next time we will leave earlier, drive to the nearby lake and park the car close enough to eyeball. That way, if she were to get tired or dehydrated (as I feared on yesterday’s walk) we will have a cooler and a place to sit nearby. Maybe we will follow our walk with a picnic lunch. And if I want to walk some more, Susan can sit in a shady spot and sip her drink while I get more steps in. Sounds like a deal to me!