As I step outside on these chilly mornings, I ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” Then, within 100 steps, I begin to warm up. My attention turns from a distaste for the cold toward an appreciation for nature in all its seasons.
Sure, I have to look more closely than I do during the eye-catching days of spring color, but the point is I’m out there, moving, experiencing, breathing, and noticing.
And I owe that to this project. If you are the only person who ever reads this, I’ll still have to make good on my promise to you to keep walking. You make me accountable. If left up to me alone, I’d cower inside where it’s warm. And in doing that, I’d miss all that is exquisite in the cold.

