My Mother Loved to Walk

Take a Deep Breath

When I started this video review site, I wanted to share these beautiful videos with my mother.  Mom is the one who took my hand when I was five and led me through a little park in California where we walked over a few hills, and I picked up some acorns.  She warned me about poison oak (and later, poison ivy).  She told me to take deep breaths and smell the fresh air.

When we moved to Idaho and Montana, Mom made sure that my brother and I were outside, running and playing, and taking walks to see the places around the house.  Then we settled in a small town in the Black Hills and again, Mom arranged walks to help us appreciate our world.  She bought books to identify vegetation and rocks so we could learn names and talk about what we saw.

My Mother Continued to Walk

In her middle years, Mom continued to walk.  She and her husband, Jim, lived in the north woods of Wisconsin.  When she walked the dirt roads, she took a whistle to warn off black bears, and she needed to use it once.  Still, she needed her walk.  Walking was her main form of exercise and I learned from her how beneficial it was.

She was my role model.

Endings

Our human lives end at some point.  People lose loved ones every day.  This month, I lost my mother.  It is a hard situation to accept, that an end comes.

My mother lived 83 years.  I thought she would live much longer because she lived a healthy lifestyle especially during her mid-life when she learned about nutrition and exercise.  She spent 68 years with a lot of energy.  Unfortunately, her last 10 years were filled with illness.  It was a very tough transition for my bright, lively, lovely mother.

We were very close.  She influenced me in every way.  Her life was very important to her children and grandchildren.  I am grateful for the many things that she taught me, including how to enjoy nature.