My neighbor, probably 25 years younger than I, has decided that I need a walking program, and since he wants to start walking, we'll walk together. (I sometimes suspect his need to walk is a kind invention to mask his helping me!) I haven't been walking for over a year because of insecurity about my sense of balance--due to a lot of things too long to go into here, but anxiety is a big factor. And Jay is right--I need to get in shape for Scotland. In fact, I'm late starting. So this morning we went for our first walk--.6 mile at a brisk pace, though towards the end I had to slow down, and Jay admitted he was winded too, which made me feel better. This will be an uneven program, since he's out of town a lot. After a few trials, he may take Scooby, my dog whose joy for life makes him impossible on the end of a leash in spite of training efforts--you can't always train the herding instinct out of working dogs. Jay's wife, Susan, will take their dog Pecos. This morning she said she didn't think it would be cool if Pecos pulled me down. As far as balance, except for curbs and one huge break in the concrete where a tree branch hit me simultaneously, I thought I did pretty well. Meanwhile I'll keep riding my reclining bike but will increase the resistance, and I'll keep doing my stretches.
For this morning's walk I wore new shoes--what I call my old-lady-ugly-comfortable shoes--they are SAS brand and have a larger than normal toebox, to accomodate my bunions and hammer toe. Very comfortable--and not quite as ugly as I expected.
Jay and Susan are good neighbors. They suggested sharing costs for taking down a tree between our houses (a very narrow space) that was dead but covered with ivy which we suspect harbored rats. And while the tree came down, they took Scooby over to their house to have a "play date" with Pecos. That night, Friday, they came over for a glass of wine so we could trade keys and checks and what have you. All of us are delighted at how much more light we get into our houses.
Then last night Jordan, Christian, Jacob and I joined them for Jay's lasagne of which he is rightfully very proud--it was outstanding, and we had a jolly evening with Susan's parents also present. I sort of knew the Halbowers from church and about but hadn't really met them, so that was fun. We had a lot in common to talk about. For years I lived without good neighbors--college kids on one side and an eccentric elderly man on the other. Now I have good neighbors on either side, and I'm blessed.
Jordan was very grateful that they invited us to dinner because she claimed my house smelled. When she walked in, the cat had "missed" the litterbox, something I took care of right aftercoming back from dinner. I had also just sprayed a water repellent on those new SAS shoes, and it did smell like a pesticide or something. And there is a lingering eau d'rat in the kitchen, but it's quite faint. I've lived through dead critter odor that was a lot worse. Today the catbox and water repellent odors are gone, and I spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen without discomfort--but then, my nose isn't as sensitive as Miss Jordan's.
Anxiety is a funny thing--it seems to come and go for no reason. Right after Christmas I seemed to have a new attack, and I couldn't muster much enthusiasm for anything. It was easier to stay home, and I could see how, in some ways, becoming reclusive would be too easy--but I also knew it wasn't something I wanted to do, so I kept forcing myself to do things. But Friday, for instance, was a day of bad balance--I kept trying to go into stores, etc., without my stick, and the result was some very tentative walking. But Saturday morning I woke up feeling enthusiastic, neither discouraged nor disheartened. I set out happily on errands, walked easily, and life was good. A part of me wonders if sleeping late in the morning makes a difference, although that may be way too easy an answer. But oh is it tempting.
No comments:
Post a Comment