Sticking To The Path

I’ve mentioned before that I walk a lot during the day. My minimum distance within any given day is five miles (11,400 steps). I don’t walk outside much because I’m always alone and a little paranoid that something will happen with my leg and I won’t be able to get help without calling 911.

This week I’ve got the first round of babysitting duties with my new niece. She’s five weeks old and about as cute as a baby can get. I say it’s the first round because I have her this week, then I’ll get her for about a month six weeks from now, and then I’ll probably be taking care of her full-time by mid-August. It requires a lot of energy and work, but being with a baby has its own rewards beyond the labor. I’m really growing quite fond of her.

One of the things that I do with her involves walking the path that I take within my house in order to achieve the proper steps each day. Part of that path always involves a trek that stretches from my family room to the center hallway in my house. It’s a path that my wife and daughter would take me down very carefully when I was still in a wheelchair. I was a mess and could hardly manage myself physically back then. I was thinking about it yesterday as I carried this little baby in my arms while taking her down the same familiar path and getting in my steps for the day. I used to be so helpless on that path, but now I carry a young and helpless life within my arms while walking with a good measure of strength and stability. I’m far from helpless, and I’m far from done with life. It’s just another week of knowing that the injuries from my motorcycle accident are far from being in charge.

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