Monday, December 7, 2009

Hoping for an adventure free day

Sometimes I think my (lack of) brain will get the best of me. Yesterday as part of my on going effort to become a healthy person - and yes apparently this will take a lot of work - I woke up and decided that since the streets were covered with snow that I should go to the gym. I asked my husband about his shoveling time table and was informed that perhaps I should just walk to the gym instead of forcing him to clean off the cars sooner so I could drive there. (In other words, stop nagging and go away.) So I took the subtle hint and threw on my gym shorts and a tshirt, a pair of sweats over them. I put my necessary gym supplies in a little tote bag - magazines, water bottle, etc. Then I put on my boots and coat and walked out the door where I made an immediate u-turn back inside to get another layer of fleece under my coat.

I walked the entire 0.1 mile to the gym (you wonder why I don't drive more often but there is a hill involved as well) and it was closed. Whoever was supposed to open with keys failed to show up and there were people milling around the parking lot. One woman said she called the owners and it would probably be another hour before they opened. I looked at the bright blue sky and new fallen snow and said I'm out here so I'll go for a walk instead. I opted for walking up the bike path and into the conservation land where I usually walk. I knew it would alternate between muddy and snowy but I was wearing my boots and wasn't concerned.

I walk up the bike bath, across the field, along the reservoir, admiring the tree branches bent over under the weight of the new snow against the blue sky. I left the reservoir and walked up over a tiny hill and waved to the man shoveling his driveway, and slipped on the ice at the end of said driveway, landing on my fat butt (lots of padding there). I was unharmed, allow me to repeat: I didn't hurt my stupid back. I got up, felt like an idiot, and kept going. This was at the farthest point of my walk anyway so there wasn't much difference between going further and going back. Only woosies turn around anyway.

I cut over a couple blocks and went into the other conservation land. It was so pretty - and of course I did not have my camera as I was merely going to the gym - which meant I also didn't have a hat or mittens either or a cell phone. I decided I wanted to drink some water and reached into my bag and found out a repeat of a previous situation where my water bottle, at the impact of my butt on the ice, had opened up and I was carrying around a waterproof bag full of water and wet magazines. I dumped the water out of my bag and kept going. I also had no snacks and this was before breakfast. And there was no one else out yet because it was early and the rest of the world was home shoveling snow.

I went a little further and admired the new snow and lack of foot prints. The snow from the branches overhead kept falling on me, on my head, coat, and down into my boots so my socks were getting wet. Finally I was getting back near the bike path and the final stretch before home and realized that it was a good thing I hadn't gone to the gym because I had forgotten my sneakers. And if I had my sneakers they would have been soaking wet! I have no brain.

This morning I am going to the gym where it is warm - its 23 degrees out. I will bring a different water bottle, a different pile of magazines (that are dry), and double check to make sure I have my sneakers. And I will put a bandaid on the blister I got yesterday.

1 comment:

david said...

Hi,
That was a nice experience to share. I loved reading it. In this fast moving, hectic world, everything that happens around us are more or less new adventures to us.
Nice sharing and keep posting.

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