Mindfulness and Miles

Red shouldered hawk soaring over Steep Canyon in Diamond Bar. Photo Credit: Debbie Agee

While it might appear to be inconsistent with a decision to walk 60 miles in a weekend, my goal for 2025 has been to slow down. For me, slowing down means mindfulness. A focus on being fully present in each moment. Not doing a sudoku while listening to a book. Not planning dinner while doing yoga.

I have discovered that receiving contributions to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in support of my walk has helped me engage in daily mindfulness - and a still mind has never been a quality I could claim.

When notified of a donation from Maria, I paused to look up the next CicLAvia event – Maria and her husband Rob have recommended these opportunities to explore some of Los Angeles’s most vibrant neighborhoods devoid of cars for the day. I entered the date on my calendar and put “Call Maria” on my list, as I didn’t think she would appreciate hearing from me in the middle of the night. And I took time to appreciate having a friend who finds interesting things to explore.

At lunch with Todd’s mom, we were discussing my training for the walk. While my invitation to join me received a smirk and a laugh, she brightly added, “But if you show me how, I will donate.” So an educational opportunity ensued an Jane now knows how to use a QR code – and we moved on to discussing her interests growing up and comparing them to the experiences of her grandchildren.

Diane is a friend who reminds me of how I want to live my life everyday. She is a “yes” person. Yes, I want to learn to line dance. Yes, I want to go wine testing. Yes, let’s go to the Pink concert. Yes, I will be at Taco Tuesday. The only time she says no, it is because she has already said yes to something else. This zest for all things make her someone I just plain want to be around

Dawn Ross’s donation brought me back to my first days as a Midwestern girl at a summer associate position in Los Angeles. It was fabulous to meet a fellow Metro-Detroiter in California. Only wanting to hang out with Dawn could have induced me to leave my nice, safe, tax research projects to experience a day of jury trial on a sexual harassment case. I hope Dawn still gets a laugh if she remembers my breaking into a run away from a juror who approached me during a break, because I didn’t know how to explain I couldn’t speak to jurors.

Shannon became a friend when her daughter was the sole freshman to make the varsity lacrosse team Daphne’s senior year. It has been a joy to watch her daughter grow into both a confident young lady and an accomplished lacrosse player, particularly watching a close coach-player relationship develop between Chloe and Thomas. And Shannon remains a valued playmate of mine despite the fact that my days as a lacrosse mom have come to a close. As a former 3-Day participant, Shannon is an excellent resource for the dos and don’ts of this endeavor.

Sara was among the first people to make me feel at home when I gained the courage to show up for hiking events posted in my city. She simply exudes warmth. I discovered quickly, however, that she thinks I can do things even when I don’t. Fortunately, she is right. When I first did Oak Tree Downs, it was because Sara said, “Well, you did Aerojet. It’s the same.” The first time I hiked Steep Canyon, it was because Sara said, “You’ll be fine.” When I tried to bypass Big Red during the Peterson Canyon hike, Sara gave me a look – and somehow I was following her up.

Victory over Mountain Goat Trail in Santiago Oak with Andrea and Sara.

Aunt Linda has employed her enormous artistic talent to mark every important moment in my life. From where I sit currently, I can see paintings of my children – perhaps my favorite gift. A pillow with the words, “its hard to be humble when you are from DARTMOUTH COLLEGE,” is under my elbow. Needlework commemorating my marriage can be glimpsed in the hall – and samplers honoring Thomas and Daphne’s births hang in their rooms. Hand painted toy chests, chairs, table – all are safely stored for the next generation of young family members to enjoy someday. These stored treasures bring particular joy because they marry Aunt Linda’s talents and the talents of Uncle Gary, who built them.

For me, success is frequently tied to the number of ways I integrate a goal into my life and the relationships I form along the way. This week, I posted on the San Diego Komen 3-Day to invite local participants to join my friends and I for a training walk this week. That post netted multiple invitations to train with “Cliff’s Crew” in Fullerton, a team that has consistently participated for more than 20 years and has raised well over a million dollars. I gratefully accepted the opportunity to join the Cliff’s Crew Facebook group and look forward to participating in some of the training activities and learning all of the ropes from a team with a great track record of success.

I also received an email inviting me to act as a training walk leader – and nabbed that opportunity. It allows me to set walks that work with my schedule and continue to connect with other walkers.

We have been experiencing a mild winter in SoCal and this was evidenced during this week’s walks. From a large group, highly social Butterfield-Meadows walk, to a quick Summit Ranch loop, California was in its short “green blanket” season before the heat turns everything to gold. However, the baby rattlesnakes were sunning themselves in Steep Canyon, while Red Shouldered Hawks (thank you for the identification Marcia) soared over head – reminding us that we are the interlopers when we take to the trails. I walked distance, completing 8-miles at Yorba Linda Regional Park with Monica and Debbie, and challenged myself on big hills in Santiago Oaks, walking my absolute hardest to make sure I didn’t hold back fitness queens Sara and Andrea.

Crushing 8 miles along the Santa Ana River with Monica and Debbie.

Having completed slightly over 40 miles this week and experiencing sore feet and ankles as my reward, I’m left to ponder how my body will feel after 50% more walking in less than 50% the time!