Winter was at it again, making it a little challenging to walk outside winding along the Thames River; the YMCA was the obvious choice. The alternative would also save the drive to get to the gym for my routine following the stroll. Rehab after three cardiac stents has been surprisingly rewarding.
Looking around me at the Y, the kids on the ice rink below the track are full of energy as they practice. The next shift played an organized hockey game. And here I thought Tim Bits were only an accent to a hot coffee. These little bits were taking some good slap shots!
Focused on a good workout, I rechecked my fancy watch, displaying my pulse and steps for the day. I am always competing against myself, but that’s last week’s news. Did you even keep track of all the statistics before the technology was at your fingertips?
I passed an elderly man halfway through the course, making his way around at a snail’s pace. Stepping into the other lane in an unconscious move, I carried on. I could hear the shuffle of his shoes on the track and pondered why he would be walking in the first place. The aerobic benefit didn’t seem to add up.
Overtaking other enthusiasts walking the track, it can take half a dozen laps to pass them again. Treating the move like a race increases my clip until the trick knee kicks in. That’s when the old adage of “no pain, no gain” surfaces; pass me the Advil…lol
Lapping the elderly man again, a closer look revealed a fellow nearly twenty years my senior. He was as driven as I was, working hard to maintain his shuffling gait, a combination of age and possibly a past stroke or another medical event. This senior was on a mission, my perspective began to focus.
It is too easy to take someone or something for granted and dismiss it compared to your life or values. Working for EMS, there were repeated lessons along the way that reminded me just how fragile life is and how thankful I should be. Time again to count my lucky stars.
Old habits crept in; the paramedic in me wanted to hear his story. Approaching three years since taking a patient and incident history, now it was none of my business - though you never lose your powers of observation.
Dressed for an afternoon of watching television or enjoying a cup of tea, the man was hardly in athletic attire. What hid below the surface was some discipline to be proud of. Alone and not connected to any electronic media, his pace was steady and purposeful.
Sometimes it’s the small things in life where we find the most potent messages. Overtaking the walker, I had a lap lasting almost two minutes to think about this senior’s story before the next meeting. Though not conducting a comparison, I found myself looking for common traits. I hit the wall.
Following another circuit and rounding a corner of the track equipped with chairs for those wanting a break, the man sat taking a breather. The fellow had moved on the next time I saw him, knocking off another three trips around during my walk. My curiosity continued as I left to train in the gym area. The musings were positively distracting.
Retiring from a lifetime of shiftwork and contact with allied professionals, life has changed. Still busy with several interests, I am not sitting idly by thinking doom and gloom. Quite the opposite despite the changes over the last two years. There is still some long-term planning for travel and activities in the future.
My sister was concerned as I hung up my career, heading for a life of leisure. She was pleasantly surprised with the calendar I keep and the variety of projects and pursuits. To tell you the truth, I harboured my own doubt until I had covered the four seasons and found my own level.
There are very few dull moments watching the goings-on within my family and circle of friends. Then there are times listening to people around me, where I pause and reflect on their experience and slide into comparison mode. Someone slap me if I ever exhibit jealousy and warn me if excessive envy looks like it is heading my way.
Life is too short to suffer from the woulda, coulda, shoulda syndrome. Just ask sis again; I love her to bits. That’s not to say there won’t be the odd regret along the way. Please don’t wait up, expecting me to beat myself up. A few more stories are waiting to be written and added to the journal.
All this after seeing myself in twenty years through the man at the YMCA. I still think it’s good to daydream and plan for the future. Putting myself in his shoes as I passed him time after time, I wondered, is that gonna be me someday? Some might opine that the dream was negative.
I am following the other fork in the road. The man can keep his loafers and cargo pants. There is a fresh tracksuit and a pair of New Balance runners with the latest support in my future. Next time our paths cross, I plan to chat him up and have a conversation, not a patient assessment. I wanna be THAT GUY, out walking every day. Someone, please drive me to the track when the time comes!
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