I have always walked slowly. Just ask anyone who has slowed to a snail's pace to walk beside me. Troy told me once that it seemed that I automatically slowed at the moment he slowed to walk with me side by side.
What can I say? I'm enjoying the moment. :)
When I started walking for exercise, my turtle tendency concerned me. So I started listening to an upbeat 80's music Pandora channel on my phone. I walked to the beat of the music and was able to work my way up to a 18 minutes, 20 second mile. (I know that's not race walker pace, but I'm proud of it.)
Most of the songs that are exactly the right beat for my pace are rap music. I'm not opposed to rap music. I really like the rhythm and the down beat. And sometimes even like the lyrics. Let's discuss the lyrics. Most of the rap lyrics in 80's/90's songs are sexually charged. So for the past couple of months, I've been walking along, meeting families out for a morning stroll or passing members from my church while Sir Mix-a-lot's song about his sexual conquests with girls who have big butts is blasting in my ears. I really didn't feel convicted or ashamed about listening to the rapper speak of his adoration of big butted girls. I mean, we big butted girls need adoration too. I know right from wrong. I could just listen to these songs for the beat and not really dwell on them.
Then one day I realized that what I allow myself to be surrounded by affects my attitude. My attitude toward people, toward God. My quest for a faster mile had become more important than guarding my thoughts.
I'm memorizing the book of James and recite it (silently) while I walk the dogs. One day as I recited James 1:27, I stopped. I repeated it. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." I was not keeping myself from being polluted. I was actually opening up my mind and letting the pollution seep right in. With my permission!
So yesterday morning, I downloaded an audio book to my phone. I stood in my driveway, put my ear buds in the correct position and pondered the thought that I probably would not walk as swiftly as Sir Mix-a-lot pushed me. Oh well, here's to pure and faultless religion. :)
I concentrated on the story unfolding in my ears and tried to walk at a brisk pace. At the end of my four mile trek, I checked the time. I beat my record time!!!!! By only a few seconds but I beat it! It just goes to show you that this girl with a big butt doesn't need Sir Mix-a-lot to make her move!
