The weather is currently set to Early Blow Dryer. It’s 100°, it’s hot, it’s yuck, and frankly it’s not fair.
My sanity requires steps just as much as my body does. I miss the fresh air, the trees, and all the little things that come with my regular Starbucks Carrot Method walks.
So while a full 2.5-mile adventure isn’t happening in triple-digit heat, a mini version seemed like a good compromise.
Coffee secured. Egg bites acquired. Mission underway.
▪︎ The crow spotted me immediately and had opinions. Loud opinions.
▪︎ The hummingbird was nowhere to be found. Honestly, I can’t blame him. He’s probably tucked away somewhere cool and shady looking out at the parking lot and thinking, “Absolutely not.”
▪︎ The midpoint bench is still there, but at 100° it’s less of a bench and more of a griddle. I admired it from a safe distance and continued my journey.
▪︎ The American flag looked tired.
▪︎ The Palm Council had convened and appeared to be discussing the heat emergency.
▪︎ The Smashburger Engineers were already inside, so sadly I missed whatever bizarre conversation they were having this week. A couple weeks ago they were discussing whether they could patent business shorts. I may never know how that story ends.
▪︎ The clouds were beautiful but contributed exactly 0% to cooling efforts.
I wandered from patch of shade to patch of shade, taking photos, checking on my usual landmarks, and generally conducting a highly scientific survey of the shopping center.
Fitbit says:
I walked 20 minutes,
covered 0.28 miles,
took 612 steps,
burned 66 calories,
and spent no time in any heart rate zones.
Walk Receipts
Fitbit calls that active recovery.
I call it a successful sanity walk.
Sometimes movement isn’t about fitness.
Sometimes it’s about getting out of the house, seeing the sky, finding a few trees, drinking your coffee somewhere other than your kitchen, and remembering that the world is bigger than the same four walls you’ve been staring at all morning.
Today’s field report:
☕ Coffee secured
🥚 Egg bites acquired
🐦⬛ Crow encountered
🐦 Hummingbird missing in action
🔥 Bench in griddle mode
🌴 Palm Council meeting in session
☁️ Decorative clouds observed
🌳 Shade located
🧠 Mental reset complete
Not every walk has to be 2.5 miles.
Not every walk has to raise your heart rate.
Sometimes getting outside for twenty minutes is enough.
And it still counts. 💜
Arizona wellness is no joke in the summer! Read more of my adventures.
Starbucks Carrot Method – North Phoenix Walking Series