New friends and exercise

Finally ... I have been meeting some new friends since we moved. I was beginning to wonder if anyone lives here in these apartments. Early in the morning, I go out on the patio with a cup of coffee and sit on my mom's ole glider and watch the people here in our complex hop in their cars and head to work.

As they drive by, I will wave to them and most of them wave back, but that's it. Then in the evening after they have gotten home from work and had supper, most of them start taking their evening walk. Again, I will be sitting on the glider and wave to them and they faithfully wave back, but that is it.

Since we moved here over two months ago, I have not taken any walks or gotten any exercise. I just couldn't seem to find the time to do it. You know how that goes. Each day it gets easier to talk myself out of walking and I just sit back in my easy chair and watch TV or read. And each day I get a little stiffer and say to myself "tomorrow for sure I will start walking." And another week rolls by and I am still sitting in my easy chair watching everyone else walk.

Well ... one evening I decided to take the bull by the horns and get myself in gear and start walking. I waited 'til evening about 8 p.m. or so and did my first walk. I walked for about 20 minutes and stopped and flopped down on the glider and thought to myself, "I am so out of shape; I must try and walk farther tomorrow evening." And I did. I walked around the complex three times. The humidity was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. There are some hills and those really just about did me in.

The next morning I was so stiff and sore I could hardly crawl out of bed. I felt like I had been run over by an 18-wheeler. I went through the day feeling sorry for myself because every joint and muscle throbbed every time I moved, and I wondered why I continued to torture myself so unmercifully.

That evening I received an email letter from my daughter Susie. I had written her the night before and told her I had started my evening exercise walk. She encouraged me to keep it up and said in no uncertain terms that I needed a walking partner.

She said, "I will remember you in my prayers and pray for you to meet a new friend and walking partner."

Next week -- new friends.