Today, I got rid of a book from the ol' homestead. I usually divide books into two piles: books I will give to friends and books I will give to the Book Barn. (Book Barn books are books that I either did not like or am embarrassed that I had to begin with) However, I had one that just did not fit into either category. It was cute, but I couldn't think of who I wanted to give it to. So today I brought it into work and put it on the patient book cart. Done and done.

Today is also Writer's Workshop Day, compliments of MamaKat.

The prompt I chose is: "I would walk a mile for ____"

I would walk a mile for the simple fact that I CAN. In the morning, I am able to walk across my freezing cold floor into the bathroom. I can walk to the refrigerator to get a drink. I can walk across the street and sit by the pond on a warm Saturday morning. Do we really need any other reason to walk?

It's amazing when you think about it: all the different factors that go into the seemingly simple act of walking. We need the strength in our legs and trunk to maintain an upright posture and propell ourselves forward. We need adequate range of motion in our joints. We need good balance, coordination, and overall motor control to coordinate the movement pattern. Walking has been described as the act of continuously losing and regaining your balance in a coordinated manner. There is even evidence that when we walk on varying surfaces (like going from a sidewalk to grass) we operate not on a feedback loop but a feed-FORWARD loop. Our bodies anticipate the needed changes in the walking pattern and adapt BEFORE we even hit the grass. Like our own personal spidey senses! How is it that we are able to do all of this without even thinking about it?

I realize that I analyze walking more than the average person. (after all, gait analysis is a vital part of my job description) But I'm referring here to analysis in a more philosophical sense. Oh, the joy of pondering the act of walking. Or pondering the act of walking for 6 months straight. (Another life goal of mine, walking the entire Appalachian Trail) Someday, someday...

Until then, I'll have to have to settle for walking across that cold floor every morning.