Without my new pedometer, I would probably have been deterred from walking at all after I hurt my ankle at work last weekend. But the pedometer makes sneaking in exercise a bit of a game, so I occasionally say “to heck with the ankle!” Since school and work have left me with woefully little free time, the game is to squeeze in a little walk and then peek at the pedometer to see how many steps I added.

Both days I’ve made a conscious effort to squeeze in a few extra steps here and there, my pedometer has recorded a whole extra mile over my normal day’s walking. A MILE!

For example, yesterday before I left home I tied a stuffed rabbit to a rope and ran around the driveway and front yard, making the rabbit bob and jump while the dogs chased us, barking. Within a few minutes I started having asthma from laughing and running at the same time so I stopped. 926 steps and two very riled up, happy dogs. (Probably neighbors looking out their windows with binoculars, too. Are there Sparkpoints for that?)

Later, I took my mother’s sick old dog for a walk. He hardly budges for her - she practically has to drag him to the corner. But for me he always trots along jauntily, with his head held high, wagging his pitifully balding tail for at least a quarter of a mile. Because of the pedometer, I was tempted to take him a little farther. Guess what? This dog who normally sleeps all day gleefully walked several blocks more! I guess you could say I’m a ped-o-phile… er… I guess not.

I also chased my Solly around the kitchen, which was pathetic, because he skidded and crashed into several cabinets and I laughed so hard I had more asthma. So we had to stop again.

Here’s the take-home message: on a day when I didn’t go to work, just studied for ten hours and therefore would ordinarily have only sat on my rear, I somehow also managed to get in 4606 steps. Sure, it’s not 10,000 steps, but did you see that I also studied for ten hours?

Just imagine… what could I do if I had more free time and if I could ramp up my dogs all I wanted without fear of asthma or tachycardia and could take them on long hikes up mountains, like I used to, before 2009? (I’ve had the same health problems since childhood, but that’s the year they got much worse.) Is it possible that I can do that again? Is it possible that weight loss, a new degree and a new career are just the most visible steps along the way towards a better life?

Can I remember that each step recorded on my pedometer is not just a number, but is a very real step towards making those goals and wishes realities?