Taking a Walk

Dear Friends in Christ -

It's time for me to take the next step. The longest one, really. The one FROM thinking a thing is good to do TO doing it!

About 4 1/2 years ago (May 2004), I went to CREDO, which stands for Clergy Reflection Education Development Opportunity. CREDO is boot camp for clergy. An 8-day 30,000 mile tune-up, where experts from the Episcopal Church around the country bring together 25-30 clergy who sign up to review their health, finances, spiritual lives, and vocational skills.

By the end of the week, I felt nurtured - and I had a list of about 10 goals to work on over the next 5-6 years, before my next 30,000 mile tune-up (which is due in 2009-2010). Over the past 4 1/2 years, I've met or made great gains toward all but one goal: exercise. I do a little bit of yoga every morning, but I really need to do some cardio for my overall health.

The truth is, I've never really liked exercising much. Growing up on a farm, we didn't "exercise." We didn't really need to after doing chores every day! When I got into college, I tried exercising to combat weight gain. I enjoyed aerobics classes, but since college days I haven't really had the leisurely 2 hours I spent in the middle of the day getting ready to exercise, exercising and then showering before I was off to the next thing.

Now I'm going to exercise for a different reason: I want to be a good steward of my body. It's God's good gift to me, and like any of His gifts entrusted to me, I'm charged to take care of it. If the exercise means that I can eat a few more calories a day, double bonus!

So here goes . . . The next time you see me, tell me to take a hike. Oh. That's not quite right. :-) I meant: the next time you see me, ask me if I've taken a walk.

Faithfully yours,
Janet+