Lately I’ve been meeting my friend Josh for a walk on weekdays.The photo to the right shows him slogging through the snow at Welkinweir last week. Josh looks like he’s on a mission in the photo, and he is – its to make himself less of a man. He recently accomplished the goal of never having his weight start with a 4 again. Now to have it never start with a 3.

Due to the nature of our respective employments, we both often find mornings free, and so we can fit in a walk of a couple of miles. Welkinweir was a first for Josh, as he usually prefers paved surfaces. For example, the Interpretive Trail at Black Rock Sanctuary, which we visited earlier in the month. Josh, like me, has a sedentary job, and getting into the outdoors is a great change of pace for him. And I get to show off some of my favorite locations.

The best part of walking with Josh isn’t the exercise, or the scenery, or the conversation, although there’s all of that too. Its seeing the changes in him taking place, slowly, like water dripping on stone. Walking helps both of us, but it helps me by letting me participate, in a small way, in his success. It gets boring cheering yourself on; its always exciting rooting for your friends. And I’m rooting for Josh every step of the way.