We Should March On (ms)
I like the idea of getting out for a walk but, like most folks, I do not walk enough. I have a shopping bag full of excuses: too cold, too hot, rain, snow, some place to go, something to do. I have worked at gathering these and honing them to a fine edge for a long time so I can have one set and ready to go at a moments notice.
The favored time of year for any of us to go on a health binge is the start of the year. Makes good sense. We look down one day in December and realize we haven’t been able to see our feet for the longest time or have bought nothing less than extra large since who knows when. For us second helpings are a way of life but, come the New Year, that is all behind us and we shall step forward onto a path paved with good living, one leading to a long, productive life. Generally speaking it does not happen (read again the excuses above) but we at least have good intentions. The manager of a health club told me once that if he had to accommodate all the customers who showed up in January for the rest of the year he would need a building three times as large. I might add he got membership fees up front. Walking is free save for maybe a decent pair of shoes.
There are two kinds of walkers: those in training to break the world walking speed record and the casual variety that moves along at a slow but steady pace. I have no opinion on either for no matter what you do in the way of exercise, it’s always better than nothing and you do what you can.
Me? Well, I think I fit somewhere in between: not very fast but not very slow. A steady pace rules my time on the road (there are very few sidewalks where I live) and gets me where I need to go which is around a few blocks and back home again.
My method probably won’t be listed as one would-be walkers should follow but I like it. I get the chance to see what’s going on around me, to say hello to a neighbor, pet his dog. During the Christmas season I get to take a long view of the decorations my neighbors have put up and to marvel at how the light from them bathes the lawn and spills over to the road helping to make my walk easier. On clear nights the stars shine down from a black winter sky and on one road, where there is no light to be found, they look like bright dots on a dark canvas stretched from here to infinity. The smell of wood smoke drifts from chimneys and the venture becomes a most pleasant journey. It is one I’m very glad to make and truthfully wish I could make more often. If it wasn’t for that bag of excuses I have, maybe I would.
–Mike Stevens
Riding Both Rails 