Walk 3 of 5 Week of March 15—The Bench, The Bike Dog, & Finishing Anyway

“The Bench, The Bike Dog, and Finishing Anyway”

It started like a normal walk.
Which, if you’ve been following along, means it started with a plan and immediately turned into a story.

About halfway through, I found a bench.
And listen—this wasn’t just any bench.

This was a dangerous bench. The kind that says:

“You could just sit here. Forever. No one would blame you.”

So I did.
I sat.

I breathed.

I let the world slow down for a minute.

And honestly?
I considered not getting back up.

🐶 Enter: The Unexpected Joy

Right when I was fully negotiating a new life as a permanent bench resident…

A bicyclist rolled by.

And riding along with them?

A dog.

Just… cruising. Living its best life. Absolute main character energy.

It made me smile in that immediate, no-effort way.

The kind that reminds you:
👉 this is why we go outside
Not for perfect pace.
Not for calorie burn.
But for the random, joyful, you-had-to-be-there moments.

🚶‍♀️ The Decision

But here’s the thing.
If I don’t finish the loop:
I don’t get home
The cats start filing complaints
My husband wonders where I went
Groceries definitely don’t happen

So I got up.

Not because I was suddenly full of energy.

Not because I “pushed through.”

Just because…
it was time to keep going.

📊 The Receipts
2 hours, 3 minutes
2.53 miles
6,305 steps
85 zone minutes

A mix of light, moderate, and a little “okay we’re finishing this” effort
It wasn’t fast.
It wasn’t pretty.
It was real.

💚 The Takeaway

This walk had everything:
A strong start
A long, slow middle
A “do I live on this bench now?” moment
A random dog on a bike
And a quiet decision to finish
No big breakthrough.
No dramatic transformation.
Just…
showing up, pausing when needed, and finishing anyway.

Walk Receipts

🐾 Still Counts

If your walk looks like this—
interrupted, uneven, a little chaotic—
You’re doing it right.

Because the goal isn’t perfect.
The goal is:
👉 keep going when you can
👉 rest when you need to
👉 finish when it matters

And maybe…

smile at the dog on the bike along the way.

Still counts. 💚

Ready for St Patrick’s Day at Electric Bat Arcade.  Grocery store run, then see you tonight.

Still Counts.

---

The Starbucks Carrot Method
North Phoenix Walking Series