This morning started out as usual. I'm always tired when I wake up. It is my habit to think in bed, searching in my head for things to do, art, reading, arranging, until one of the ideas sparks my brain and prompts me to get up. That's how I come alive each morning. I drag myself to a chair with coffee. Fire up the net. Email. Do the puzzles. Puzzles done, feeling fine about today's Quordle. The door is open. It is a lovely day. There are ladies boarding the bus talking and laughing, and the idea of walking outside hits me.
My rule, (always, except if I change my mind) is, if I think of it (exercise, that is) I do it, immediately. Accept rule for today.
Do teeth and hair, don sweat shirt with shorts. Sunglasses, Rollator, keys, mask, out the door. Do not lock the door. Elevator down. Out front door. Left in front of building.
**Walking, thinking, is it better to stay on the narrow sidewalk, where there are plus or minus eight 90 degree turns on each side of the building? Concentration is vital in this case, to keep the Rollator on the even narrower walk and negotiate the turns without going off the curb.
On the other hand, in earlier days I walked in the street because I could go faster without curbs and narrow walks.
I decide I will benefit more from the concentration of maneuvering the turns and focusing on the boundaries of the narrow walk. I hope this is true.
Speak to, or wave at, several people en route, and upon reaching the front door again, I realize I am semi-invigorated---sunshine and fresh air and people---and not nearly ready to go inside yet.
I always liked to walk with a destination, and I think I could go on quite a way longer if I had a goal and a reward on arrival. A café or any kind of store. Hell, even a newspaper box. Can't think of any such in this neighborhood. The closest place is far enough that I am leery of going that far and crossing the streets at this point in my ventures.
So I go inside, chat with the card playing ladies a while, walk to the far end of the building in the hallways, out the door there, and back around outside to the front door here and back inside to my room. I pass Sherrie, who is carrying lunch to her aunt Mary. She tells me it is chicken quesadilla and onion rings. That sounds good, and I am still hankering to be out and among people, so I leave the walker in my room, get some money and head to the dining room, which now has a sign, Neighborhood Café, and it makes me feel good to read the sign. Neighborhood Café. I order and there is much chit-chat and back and forth and laughing while I wait for my food, and the lady brings me an extra Diet Coke while I wait, just to be nice. Pat, the server, started here at about the time I moved in. She used to work in housekeeping and remembered Jim from when she cleaned his room when he was in Building 4. We talked about his history etc. She hadn't known he was dead. Food arrives. I stuff sour cream and salsa in my pockets and start stacking food containers on my arms. The lady, helping me, says, are you walking?!! I laugh. 'Or crawling.' We laugh and I proceed to my room hunched over, holding food in place between my chest and chin and arms and tiny stepping, so I don't jar any of it loose. [[It crosses my mind that Neighborhood Café could be the answer to my wish for a destination or goal. Not quite as far as I had in mind, but a place to head to.]]
On the way, I run into a FedEx guy delivering a package to my apartment. He continues with me, pushing buttons and opening doors for me, to my apartment. Nice guy.
Lunch is done now. There may be ketchup on the keys. I have switched keyboards and back again. One, keys are too far apart. One, too close. Could it possibly be that my fingers don't work as well as they did? 😒
**While I am pondering this, I remember something. When I was going to Tech, I used to meet a girl who lived on the other side of Finch Park, and we would walk to Tech together in the mornings. Her name was also Alice, and we had long serious discussions about which style of walking would get us there quicker. Drag feet. Almost drag feet. Take into account the friction of soles against sidewalk while dragging feet. Long strides. And so on. I think we imagined we were brilliant mathematicians in training or some esoteric beings. Anyway, I must always have been the type to evaluate walking while in the process of it. Other occupations too. Always one me outside watching the doing me doing.
Once in Spanish class, Will shook his head at me and said, admonishing me, you are always thinking, aren't you?
I remember feeling surprised at his tone. Of course I was. Wasn't everyone? Eventually I realized, no, everyone wasn't always thinking like that. Are you? Do you always watch your moves and thoughts and words, from outside
My takeaway for today, people, people, people. Outdoors. Walking. All good.
Dammit. I can't figure out why some type is bigger or darker than other type. Sorry.
3 comments:
Three sentences beginning with "I like", an answer, and a question:
I like the changing font size. Yeah, I'm always thinking. Did you go to 39 before Tech? I like that I've set up my browser so I can block text and right click search via any number of sites, in this case Maps, where it shows McKinley Elementary (39) on the way to Tech. I like a destination, too, which I arrange to be along the way as much as possible.
Yes, I went to Wm McKinley #39, which at that time was at 801 S. State St. That is at Lexington and State. Later it usurped Finch Park Land and a new 39 was built at State and Fletcher. Don't know what happened to the park. It was a really cool neighborhood park. Shelter house, wading pool, baseball diamond, Friday night dance parties in the shelter house where the whole neighborhood attended--and danced. Leaders led bunny hops and other participatory dances for all ages. Can't tell you how much fun it was when
everybody played together. Adults to babies.
Sounds groovy. According to the map the school is still where it moved to State & Fletcher, and Finch Park is at 801 S. State, which leads me to believe that eventually an entire swap took place. While there's a Lilly Boys and Girls Club there, I can't be sure it adults to babies be dancin'. Makes me think how it's times what change as much as the places, and then maybe not so much.
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