I'm Leading a Walking Group!

We had a staff meeting on Wednesday for my branch of OOO and it was decided that we're finally going to be doing something about the expressed need for some more structured activities instead of just free time before our support group. OOO operates what are classified as "Wellness & Recovery Centers," so we were all thinking along the lines of "Wellness" type activities. Somehow we had no idea that OOO Inc has a wellness initiative now. I guess great minds think alike, or some such thing. So for example, now the 2nd Friday of every month someone is going to be leading meditation.

In the course of conversation I reminded people of the idea someone had expressed over a year ago about starting a walking group. Although that person had expressed the idea of getting a group together outside of center hours, now that it'll be light out, why don't we get a group together and go on a half hour walk before group on Wednesdays and walk around the grounds of the hospital? "I'LL LEAD IT!" I said.

I did this for several reasons:

1. As a substitute facilitator I get paid rather sporadically, and working even just 1/2hr per week regularly might possibly qualify me for benefits I wouldn't otherwise.
2. My Dr (physiatrist) wants me walking 20mins daily and even after my chair broke I still don't. I get paid a whopping $8/hr and somehow the $4/week for the half hr walk is motivation.
3. I did it for the gimmick of it. You'll see to the right a picture taken of me in 2007 in Israel wearing sunglasses, a hooded sweatshirt, ID badge, with my crutches. You don't usually think of someone who looks like that leading a walking group. I figured it'd get more people involved. You can't really say it's too strenuous for you. I loved the look on someone's face yesterday "You're leading the walking group???"

Someone else asked me if I'd be walking or taking my chair. I answered "It's a walking group." Seeing as I'm both leading and walking, people are going to be "keeping up" with my CP walking pace. I have a feeling no one else will be getting exercise but me. I'll be hyperventilating by the end, as I tend to do, and they'll be feeling like snails. But it meets my selfish goals.