31 December 2020: How to write the last post for this most unusual (garbage) year? I certainly won’t be ringing in the New Year like I have the past few. It’s surprising to me how much it hurts to miss celebrating with these folks. But spending the evening alone is perhaps the most representative way to end this lonely year. So, I’ll write about something else…
For years now, I’ve set goals for myself when it comes to getting 10,000 steps in. Usually, it’s like “I’ll do it 90% of the days of the year.” That actually pretty easy to do and since I started, I’ve never fallen short. In a normal year, I might miss about 7-12 days over the course of 365 days. When it happens, it’s usually because of travel, illness, or weather. I can’t think of the last time when it was just like, “Nope, just didn’t do it today.”
This year, though, I hit 10,000 steps every single day. Honestly, I am stoked about this silly little achievement—this clear gesture of consistency and routine when it comes to something I get so much out of doing. I have been thinking for a while, though (when I had a feeling I might make 365), about why I was able to do it this year and the answer is, well…2020. On a more granular level:
No Travel: When I go to NY to see my family, it is hard to get a good walk in, esp. on the travel day. Well, guess what I didn’t do any of this year? I think I have spent every night this year in my own bed. (Not complaining about that part too much.) No NY, no vacations, no conferences, no road trips.
Equipment: It might seem obvious, but a good rain jacket, comfortable shoes, my yaktrax, a warm hat that covers my ears, and an umbrella have made it much easier to get a walk in whatever the weather. That said…
Weather: Not counting the early December snow, 2020 was really light on snow and ice. That helped a lot.
Planning: For rainy days, I checked the forecast, looking for breaks in the rain or at least in its intensity. On hot days, I got out there early. On days where I knew I had meetings through my lunch break, I would walk in the morning. That “morning walk” shift has really helped a lot in terms of energy and a better outlook. Getting it “done” earlier feels good. A recent example: on Christmas Day, I got up early (set an alarm even) and took my walk before heading to Arlington because I was worried that if I stayed late, I wouldn’t get the chance.
Health: What a blessing it was to be healthy enough to take a good walk every day. No colds or flu. No injuries. In late 2019, I had a really nasty stomach virus where I think I went five days without hitting 10,000. (That’s extreme.) But 2020—maybe all that hand-washing? not being around people?—has been a healthy year for me, at least physically.
And finally, what else are you going to do?: In normal times, every once in a while, a day of socializing or being too busy would get in the way of 10,000 steps. But this year? Even on my busiest days, I could carve out that time.
In the last week or so, when I knew I was likely to hit 365/10,000, I started to draft this post in my head. (By the way, each time, I would say to myself, “Assuming you don’t get COVID…”) It makes sense, I think, as a final post of this strange (garbage) year: it’s representative of the year, it is a good thing that grew out of bad circumstances, and it’s about something so essentially solitary and sustaining for me.
Looking towards 2021, a year that will have an awful start and maybe promises a brighter spring/summer, who knows what that will all look like on a personal level for me? Probably won’t hit 365/10,000--and maybe not doing so will be a sign that things are better--but I hope to come close.
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