Walking Like Don

Val and I are walkers. We walk a lot. We walk around our neighborhood at home. We walk around new places to explore them. And we especially walk at the beach. “Want to go for a walk?” is a common question. Most days one of us asks the question and the answer is almost always “yes”. And when we walk, we walk like Don.

Don is a family friend who has a shore home in Avalon, NJ. And Don walks on the beach first thing in the morning, every morning. And when there’s wind, Don starts by walking into the wind. He walks into the wind because it’s a bit harder than walking with the wind against his back. I suppose it’s the philosophy of doing the hard part first while you have the energy and motivation. Starting by walking into the wind means you'll have a bit of a push on the walk home. And so when Val and I walk, we walk like Don. We start by walking into the wind.

It's also a good analogy for life. Sometimes doing hard things are, well, hard. Even things that are enjoyable like taking a walk can seem hard from the comfort of a cozy chair. Or learning and practicing something new. Or working on a challenging project. It can be helpful to do the hard thing first. To turn it into a victory and hopefully the sense of accomplishment and recharge that comes with it. And so I try to walk like Don, doing the hard thing at the start of my day and starting with a win for the day ahead.

See you out there,

-Adam