Dear 5:45 a.m.,

{Photo taken 7:15 a.m. from our front step, at the end of today's walk}

~

5:45 a.m.

Dark.

I, personally, prefer to be snuggled warm in my bed with the thought of morning

still several hours away. It's really a time of day that I prefer not to witness.

That's what I used to think, anyway.

For the past three weeks, a friend and I have been meeting at 6 a.m. to walk for about an hour.

Each morning when my alarm goes off, I slide out of bed (picture: slug) and promise myself

that I'll be right back in that very same spot after our walk. I stumble to the bathroom, get dressed in the dark (I try not to look in the mirror when I get home), and then head out the door. Our houses are .6 of a mile apart, so we meet somewhere in between. We start chatting (quietly so as not to annoy the neighbors) as soon as we meet. Before we know it, our time is getting short and we each have to hurry home so the husbands can leave for work. By the time I get home, I feel so good and wide awake that (almost always) I stay up and continue with my day.

5:45 ain't looking so bad anymore.

I feel so much better.

I get to bed earlier = no more late night snacking.

I have a skirt that's been just too tight to wear.

It's been hanging on the doornob to my closet for a month...just a gentle reminder.
I put it on yesterday...it's time to move it up into the closet with the other clothes that fit.

I've made a commitment to myself to walk for 30 days straight. I started on July 17th and the 30 days ends on my birthday, August 15th. To date, I've missed only three days and walked a total of

approximately 87.4 miles (24 days total).

~

Thanks, 5:45 a.m. (and my walking buddy). I look forward to spending more time with you!