Walking with Maura

As the month of October gets close to its end it has been difficult for Maura and me to get out, even on the weekends. Times are tough and there is little money to go new places. We still spend time together, though. One journey we make together almost every day.

When Maura started first grade at the beginning of September I decided that as long as it was practical we would walk to school and walk home. It’s just over a mile and a half each way. I thought it would be a good idea to save gas and both of us can use the exercise. We’ve walked at least one way almost every day since the beginning of the school year.

I’ve really enjoyed my daily walks with Maura, even though we don’t get to talk much. The traffic noise makes conversation difficult. Maura keeps talking but she’s always looking down and away from me to avoid stumbling while she walks and I miss a lot of what she says. Still, just spending time with my daughter makes the walks enjoyable for me.

I am also very proud of her. She walks further every day than many parents would ever ask their six-year-olds to walk and she does it without complaint. I think she enjoys it almost as much as I do. She agrees that the walk is good exercise and as long as we walk I’m not much worried about Maura getting too chubby. As much as she would like to sit in front of the TV when we are home, I know she is getting a fair amount of exercise.

I know Maura especially enjoys the days when we stop on the way home for a treat, usually at the donut shop that is about halfway between home and school. A hot drink and a donut make a nice treat on raw days, and once we left the house early and shared a good breakfast on our way to school.

We may not be walking often for long. Soon we may largely give it up until spring, though I plan on walking in good weather into November, at least in the afternoon. We’ve already mostly given up walking in the mornings. It’s been chilly and it’s hard to get up in the dark to be ready a half-hour early so there is time to walk. For now we’ll keep walking in the afternoon, at least on dry and pleasant days. Soon enough the winter cold will be here, and the winter darkness. The shadows will already be getting long at 3:30 when we are walking home from school and the sidewalks will be icy after snow. Then we will stop walking because it will not be safe or pleasant. I will be eagerly awaiting the light and warmth of spring, and I think Maura will be too.