I can’t remember how long popular wisdom says it takes to form a habit, but I think it’s three weeks. If that’s the case, then I’m well on my way to forming a morning exercise habit. For the past ten days I’ve been taking Asbjørn for a walk each morning. I walk Lydia to school then continue through town on school days, and I get up at eight o’clock and go on my own with the dog on the days when she’s home. This is quite the feat for me, as I am not at all a morning person and I love to sleep in with an intensity that cannot be overstated. I can hardly believe myself that I’ve been sticking to it. Now that I’ve gotten in the groove, though, I think my body is craving it. Lydia’s been out of school since Wednesday, and every day since then I’ve been wide awake at eight o’clock, my legs positively itching to get out there and move.

I always walk the same route in the mornings. I like the mindlessness of it. It frees me to think rather than having to worry about where I’m going. I like, also, noting the small changes that each passing day brings to my surroundings — new leaves on the trees, tulips that much closer to blooming, the barely-perceptible recession of the fast-moving river. I am already anticipating the lush green of high summer in northern Sweden, then the too-soon turning of the leaves. If I continue through the coming months, perhaps my resolve will be strong enough that I will venture out even when winter comes and the mornings are dark and bitterly cold.