Walking.

It's been a long time since I went all the way around Green Lake plus a bit more = 3 miles. It felt really good to engage familiar rituals: pull out the walking clothes and a hat; check my MP3 player for good batteries; check my fanny pack for the basics. When I'm in the groove, I usually walk very early in the morning because of the solitude. But this morning I did not start walking until 10am.

I wore the wrong socks and managed to raise a blister, but that's the extent of the damage. I did remember how to breathe and pull my stomach back into the spine. I did some stretching, though not all the usual ones, since I still worry a bit about my knee.

The city gardeners do a magnificent job with few bodies and a lot of imagination at Green Lake. Everything is coming up early this year, as you can see.

I like these spots of color that peek out from various places.

And grand sweeps of color, this one near the Bathhouse Theatre.

And another beautiful spot for the eye to rest. A tsunami watch is in effect for the central and northern Washington Coast. The terrible earthquake in Chile is on the same plates for the fault line that runs all the way up here. Mother Nature has been moving our assumptions around all winter, and causing terrible devastation in places like Haiti and now Chile. Let's hope that folks don't get earthquake fatigue and forget how much still needs to be done.

Meanwhile, now that I've started again, I'll keep walking. My goal is to be in the gym with the weights twice a week, and to be out walking at least three other mornings a week. Though I'll do shorter walks this year to raise money for breast cancer, I'll still have the joy of walking. First 5k walk is on Mother's Day, and is called "Inspiring Hope."

At the end of another beautiful, sunny day....

Now the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.

Now the darkness gathers,
Stars begin to peep,
Birds, and beasts and flowers
Soon will be asleep.

-Joseph Barnby

Graduation.

Eight and a half weeks after I injured my knee, I have graduated from physical therapy. And I expect to be discharged this afternoon by my orthopaedic surgeon, without surgery.

I have integrated all my lower body work in the gym back into my routine; and I'll keep doing home physical therapy exercises for a while longer. (Only 10% of those who see physical therapists ever actually do the exercises, so that may explain the uneven success rate of PT.)

The beauty of this recovery is that I can walk again, without any pain or instability. I don't think I'll be walking 60 miles this fall, but longer daily walks can now integrate into my schedule, along with the personal training.

The knee has to be one of the most complicated set of mechanics in the human body, so I'm deeply relieved to be given a prognosis of "excellent, with continued adherence to her fitness program." And, if anyone ever needs a referral to an outstanding physical therapist, please let me know!

My valentine.

We got married the day after Valentine's Day so there would always be cultural cues to remind us. I fancied myself to have married a renaissance man, and I was not wrong.

It's worked out pretty well for all these years. I've gotten more support for what I wanted to do than most women can ever imagine.

He teaches literature and music and (sometimes) photography. He is a student of music and Chinese, writes poetry, and rides a Harley Davidson. I have never been bored.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."-- Emerson

Seeing the New Orleans Saints win the Superbowl was a moment of pure, unadulterated joy across the nation. And did we ever need that! The political climate has become so rancorous that it's easier not to read or watch the news.

After this morning, I have only two more physical therapy sessions. Two months will have passed. And I'm restless, and ready to take on more.

The Olympic games open this weekend in Vancouver, and should give us more of that good ju-ju we felt last Sunday. We'll be reminded that great athletes rarely follow a straight path. We'll see the discipline and the absolute focus necessary to execute at high speeds.

Best of all, it will remind each of us that anything is possible.

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu

Today has been World Cancer Day and tomorrow is Go Red day, focused on women and heart disease.

For myself, I am extremely grateful that I have never had cancer or heart disease. When I feel troubled from other challenges, I try to remember these as the most difficult.

I have been walking each day, good distances. Yesterday, I parked at Microsoft in a garage not close to my destination and got a little extra walking. Kate, my physical therapist, said it was probably to surprise me with the knowledge that I could go further without hurting myself than I actually realized. So today I did it again: parking a good distance away from my destination. Tomorrow I'll go back to Green Lake at lunch time. To me, Green Lake is gratitude personified, a memory always in my heart whether I am walking there or not.

And still more!

1. I can work on all my former lower body exercises with my trainer now.

2. I have a couple of new exercises to do at home.

3. I am just about to go out on my first walk of the year at Green Lake. Moderation in all things concerning the knee right now, so a quarter mile out and a quarter mile back.