Attentiveness.

Since Monday, everyday walking seems an extraordinary challenge.

When I am in training, I have certain rituals I observe that remind me I am walking --attention to rhythm, breathing, tempo and speed. I also have reasonably thoughtful patterns in the form of instructions I give myself -- stretch now, pick up the tempo now, drink water now, and even stop now. These instructions have now become habits I don't need to think about when I am training.

But when I am walking in everyday life, my mind is ever elsewhere. I am easily distracted by streetscapes. I have not yet created a discipline to invoke that says look Annie, here comes a curb, be careful. And I still have to build the instruction set that says take off your reading glasses just as if you were on a training walk.

As I work on applying training discipline to everyday walking, I try not to feel too embarrassed that a walker in training could fall down and do so much obvious damage.