Exercise has been on my mind lately. In particular, I’ve been wondering why I refuse to make the the time to work out even though I know it is the most important thing I could be doing. What is it about exercise that I dislike so much? I’ve come to the conclusion I hate it because the entire time I’m exercising, what I’m really thinking is:

There are a thousand other things I could be doing right now that would be way more interesting.

I mention this because for the last eight days in a row I have pulled myself out of bed, splashed cold water on my face, laced up my Way-In-The-Back-Of-The-Closet Tennis Shoes, and headed out the door for a walk. Not Olympic training by any means, but A Start.

On Day Three I was moving along in exercise mode (seriously making an effort not to think of all the interesting things I could be doing) when I looked up and saw this. I pulled my iPhone out of my pocket and snapped the shot.

Day 1 #morningwalk

That is kind of cool, I thought to myself. I’d never have seen the gorgeous blue of the lake if I hadn’t come out for this walk at this moment, in this particular light.

I posted the shot to Instagram when I got back home. And then this occurred to me. What if I look for one interesting image every day on my walk? Since I will be taking the same route through my neighborhood day after day, how many interesting photographs could I get? Ten? 100? 1000? How long will it take until I see all there is to see on this 1.3 mile loop?

And that, my friends, changed everything.

Day 2 #morningwalk

Day 3 #morningwalk

Day 4 #morningwalk

Day 5 #morningwalk

Day 6 #morningwalk

It’s a fun challenge, no doubt. Even more important, #morningwalk has reminded me that when you look at the world with your eyes wide open, there is always something interesting to see.

 Note: You can find me on Instagram at @crmonetti. If you are there, too, please leave a comment on this post with your handle. I would love to look at the world through your eyes.