This morning we left for church as usual, as we were part way down our road the husband realised he had left his phone at home (twit). So I carried on along the road, he went back, and got his phone. I’d got the majority of the way down our road, looked back and he was way down the road. 

This wasn’t the first time I’ve left before him and he’s said he’ll catch me up. It may be that I was ready before him, or he forgot something, or for various other reasons. But he always caught up with me. Today he didn’t.

I slowed right down, he caught up, as he approached he said “that’s more like it,”. Apparently that was the pace I used to walk at, which is why he always caught up with me!

There has been a definite change of pace! With walking…but also with virtually every aspect of my life.

Last December I broke my toe, and I was on crutches. I still remember the first time I walked any distance without the crutches, again it was a trip to church. The husband suddenly said its good to be able to hold your hand again. I thought this was a lovely, sweet, sensitive statement, I was wrong! He went on to reason this statement, apparently when I was on crutches he found it difficult to walk with me because he wasn’t holding my hand, so he would just race ahead, then turn around and realise  I was miles behind.

Today I am aware more than ever how I’m not on this journey on my own and never have been. When I was younger we went on lots of walks, my parents must have slowed down their pace to walk with me and my brother. For the first 10 years of my marriage my husband slowed down his pace to walk with me, since January he’s had to pick up the pace, he’s eating differently, he’s more active, he’s holding my hand.

There will always be changes of pace, it will depend on where we are going, and what we are doing. But the journey continues whatever pace we are moving at. With running my pace has gradually got quicker over time, but I’ve never really worried too much about the pace. As long as I have been moving in the first place!