Another Day in the Country
Try something new
© Another Day in the Country
I’ve been exercising in a gym for quite a few years now, driving over to Abilene.
I’ve tried different routines, even had my daughter, who is a professional trainer, set up a special routine that she thought would be good for me at my age.
But I found myself getting bored with the routine and chafing under parts of it.
So, eventually, I just set up my own exercise program that incorporated part of what my daughter had suggested, like walking on a treadmill instead of peddling on a bike, and part of what I sort of enjoyed, which was the challenge of lifting weights.
I’ve been going to the gym and I walk on the treadmill for a little while, usually less than half an hour, and then I just go up and down the various weight machines, exercising my arms and legs in different ways.
I do this two or three times a week and truthfully, the whole routine takes less than an hour. It’s a piece of cake.
Then my grandson handed me a challenge of doing the same routine that he was trying to do.
“Walk for an hour outdoors?” I said. “A whole hour?”
I was thinking to myself that it at least would check off another healthy option I’d read about — getting at least half an hour of sunlight every day.
“I’ll do it if you will,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
The first day we set out on this venture I wondered how long I’d last since the roads are mostly uphill for the first half hour.
He’s still a teenager, but I’m pushing 90!
Whatever, nothing ventured nothing gained, as the saying goes. I was game to give it a whirl, and he was very supportive, offering me an arm.
After a while, to distract myself, I asked, “Do you know about haiku?”
Fresh from a literature class I was pretty sure he did.
He nodded.
“Let’s compose some, taking turns with the lines,” I said. “I’ll start.”
He nodded.
Me: “White lines run ahead,”
Him: “laden with pebbles like stars.”
Me: “The future awaits.”
“Oh, that’s good,” I said. “Let’s try another one.”
Just in case you aren’t familiar with haiku, Miriam Webster defines it as “traditional short form Japanese poetry that features three unrhymed lines with a 5-7-5 syllable structure.”
Sounds deep, but it’s honestly fun. You should try it.
Him: “As the stick beats time,”
Me: “my heart taps its own tired tune.”
Him: “Morning sun listens.”
We were hitting our stride
Me: “Walking in nature”
Him: “is purportedly inspired”
Me: “by poetic souls.”
“I think we should write a book,” I said.
We are now walking through vineyards that used to be woods where I rode my horse when I was 40 years younger.
Me: “A scent of sour grapes”
Him: “pervades the air around us.”
Me: “Fermentation wreaks.”
We’re on the home stretch now.
Him: “To escape walking,”
Me: “earphones in another world,”
Him: “done before you know.”
And that’s the way we spent another hour in the country.