I was in the best shape of my life after having two kids. I walked almost every day. When they were trapped in their respective backpack and baby jogger -- I owned the trail. My loyal dog led the way and I kept up. I could go for miles, the two of them happily bouncing along with me.

Soon they wanted to walk on their own and the pace slowed considerably. Gone were the workouts. Now we were exploring. Examining every bug, rock, etc. We took our time and covered less ground but who cared?

We had all the time in the world.

Now my kids are older and so am I. Our days are filled with school and activities and laundry and errands. There are days when the only part of me that gets exercise is my patience.

I may not do my sit-ups everyday but I certainly practice my cleansing breaths while my 4- year old manipulates the seat belt by himself.

Every morning flies by. If I don’t go first thing, before I know it there is no time for a walk. It seems like everything takes longer. Every errand is filled with questions and explanations.

Now when I get the chance to walk the dog by myself, I find myself wishing one of my kids were with me so I can point out something along the way. My dog is enthusiastic but more interested in chasing birds than observing them.

Soon my kids will both be in school full-time and I will be back at work. I will join a gym and get “real” workouts. It will be nice to have my time back to myself -- to really get back into shape.

For now, we still have all the time in the world to get where we are going.

by Cathy Burke

Labels: Cathy Burke

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