Some time ago it came time for us to replace our 300-foot-long driveway, so we hired some able-bodied cement guys.  They put a date on the calendar for the following spring, and we waited patiently until the next May came around.  When it did, they showed up one day and ripped out the old driveway, fully intending, of course, to replace it in the days ahead.  Alas, as my grandmother used to say, “Menschen tracht und Gott lacht.” That means people plan and God laughs.

I could start a long explanation here about how the original driveway’s footprint veered unexpectedly close to a property line, but I would prefer not to go into it.  So let’s just say there were technical difficulties.

And that is how I found myself parking out on the street for the better part of three months, while we gathered the necessary information, and then waited through the dog days of summer, to allow the city to make the ruling that would allow us, finally, to replace, in August, our exceedingly long driveway.

Although I often find things amusing that other people might not, this was not one of them.  In retrospect, keeping the wheelbarrow parked by the street for groceries and the like now seems pretty funny.  But it did not feel very amusing at the time.

But here’s something that did interest me:  Within a couple of weeks, my pants were fitting a little more loosely.  Now as you’ve certainly already discerned, we have a very long driveway, at least in comparison to all the other homes on our suburban street.  But it’s not like we’re set back a mile or anything.  Even still, just being required to walk that extra 300 feet 2-4 times a day more than previously was obviously enough to make a difference in my physique.  [Not a word I usually use when speaking about myself.]  Believe you me, it wasn’t much more than that either, because I made it my business to be very efficient about the number of trips I had to make to get out to my car that summer!

I believe that I may have written on this theme before.  It goes by other names, such as “the excellent is the enemy of the good,” or “every little bit helps,” or “every little bit counts,” or “you don’t have to do everything right, just pick the first right thing,” or “whatever you do, please just stop drinking soda/pop,” or “can I talk you into eating a high-protein breakfast instead of that candy they call breakfast cereal?” or “what do we have to do to get kids walking or riding bikes to school again?,” and so on.  Just pick one thing — it’s a great way to start.

No one was more surprised than me to discover that just a few more steps a day made a real, measurable difference in how my clothing fit.  So if you’re not up to walking 10,000 steps a day, I can understand.  But try answering this:  how many steps can you take?  More importantly, how many steps can you add to your current usual daily number?  Can you add 300?  600?  That works for me.  And it will work for you.  Promise.