Start Where Your Feet Are
There was a tree across the street from where I grew up. My friends lived in the house with the yard, and they bolted a basketball rim into the trunk of that tree. Four bolts. The rim wasn’t going anywhere.
As the years passed, something wild happened: the tree grew around the rim. It didn’t push it out or snap it off. It just kept growing—until that rim became part of the tree itself.
That’s what walking has become for me. It’s not just something I do. It’s something my life has grown around.
I’ve walked every single day for the last six years. No days off. That streak didn’t come from motivation. Motivation is short-term. This came from discipline—which, at its root, means to be a disciple. A follower.
And I follow a system.
Even when I don’t feel like walking, the system kicks in. Over time, following the system made the system stronger. Now, it’s not even a debate. The walk happens because it’s part of the design of my day.
But don’t get it twisted—it’s cost me something.
There are social events I’ve missed or left early. Some I didn’t show up to at all. I’ve taken calls mid-walk, rescheduled meetings, rerouted grocery runs. I’ve gotten up earlier than I wanted to, just to protect the streak.
People now identify me as a walker. And truthfully, I identify that way too. But not because it’s trendy or impressive—it’s because walking has become the foundation for so many other habits. It’s the proof that I can commit to something, long term. It’s the anchor I trust when the rest of life feels shaky.
Walking is one of the few non-negotiables in my life outside of my responsibility to my family. That’s how deep this runs.
So if you’re just starting, don’t worry about streaks.
Don’t worry about stats or gear or tracking apps.
Just start where your feet are.
Pick one step. One day.
Then do it again.
We walk Tuesday 6/24/2025 at 6:30 PM.
We meet at the Metropolitan Branch Trail, right at 8th & Edgewood Streets NE near the Dew Drop Inn.
We allow a 10-minute grace period, so the walk officially begins at 6:40 PM.
It’s a three-mile roundtrip walk, out to M Street by the NoMA station and back.
If there’s a chance of bad weather, we’ll send a heads-up by 4:00 PM on the day of the walk. You’ll find updates via email, the OneStepWalkingClub.com blog, and on Instagram Stories.
Come walk with us—or walk where you are.
Just don’t wait on motivation.
Let the system grow around you.