My favourite part of this health challenge is that we go on longer walks. It’s the best part of the day, morning or evening, cold or hot, I’m all up for it. (Except when it rains. I’m not a fan.) It doesn’t mean though that every moment of these long walks is fun.

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”

John Muir

One of the long walks we did was unexpectedly hot. The road was straight, no shades, lots of sand, hard to smell anything. I was also on a leash, so couldn’t go far to check the smells further away, so it was pretty boring.

I could tell Missy was feeling the same, she was slow, no spring in her steps, and kept very quiet: usually she sings, talks to me, or to the trees around us – but this time, nothing. Her skin got redder every minute, and I could feel the irritation and bad mood coming onto her.

She needed help. So I brought her a stick (but then decided it was better for me to supervise it), showed her a rabbit down the road (and then she didn’t let me go after it!) and found her a nice shady area to rest.

It was still a long way to go, on paved roads, among dogs protecting their own territory, and even I had enough. We did cover quite the distance, and it was the sweetest feeling to arrive and finally rest. And it was in that rest that I realised: we did it. We were stronger than the distance, stronger than the boredom, or even the sun. Although I think Missy would disagree on that latter…

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How is this extra month going for you all? Remember, if the road feels long, or tedious, keep going: it’ll be worth it in the end.

Love, Mia

April health challenge update:
– Did Missy order food? Nope
– Did we both eat veggie/fruit for every meal? Yes
– Did we exercise? No
– Did we take 7k steps? No
– Did Missy visit at least 3 blogs in the challenge? Yes

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