PLYMOUTH — Mike Duffley walks a lot, a 5K everyday to be exact.
He’s been doing it since the stay-at-home advisory issued by Gov. Charlie Baker on March 24.
Then he posts them on FaceBook adding what he’s grateful for that day.
He’s usually out with his dog Rocky. He said he’s been able to learn a lot of new things about himself.
So how’d this start? Duffley, who is an insurance consultant, is working from home.
"I thought this would be a good thing to do to keep myself busy. It’d be a good challenge," he said.
One day he was grateful for his dog Rocky. On another, he was grateful for a new place in Plymouth to go for a walk that he’d never been to before.
Another day he was grateful for his sister Megan, who joined him in a socially distant stroll. That was Day 16 and he hadn’t seen his sister in weeks.
Mike says he’s a hugger but realized he couldn’t hug his own sister to keep her safe.
He told Boston 25 he learned something.
"I’m grateful for hugs and I’m aware of that because it’s the first time I’ve seen my sister in a week and couldn’t give her a hug which felt very strange," he said.
After each post people started telling Mike that they are now grateful for inspiring them.
“Friends, acquaintances, family and even some strangers send me videos of them either doing a 5K themselves or out for a hike or riding their bikes,” he said.
Through it all Mike just wanted to get out, go for a walk and do something positive. That’s true even on the most miserable days - like Day 35. He recalls it was a nasty rainy day. But he realized something that he posted and hopes it inspires others to push their boundaries.
“If you do something everyday that’s uncomfortable, then sooner or later it becomes more comfortable and you realize you are more resilient than you might have thought," he said.
They are wise words from a man who just wanted to go for a walk.
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