There was a time not all that long ago that I thought walking for exercise was an oxymoron. If I needed a break from what I was doing I might go for a walk. That was then. I walk now and the exercise is good. The body is a machine with lots of moving parts and they all need to move and answer to gravity. It must have something to do with squeaky wheels and grease. Superman was faster than a speeding bullet and leaped tall buildings in a single bound (1950’s comic books). I was faster than my little brother and leaped over puddles after a rain. Squeaky wheels were never a problem. But they squeak now, my wheels. If I don’t get some grease and move through the full range of motion, that range of motion shrinks until I can’t reach itches that I used to scratch and my knees don’t bend to suit me, hips don’t want to bend at all.
Walking is not taxing. I go three miles in an hour. When I get back to the parking lot I feel better than when I began. I had grown accustomed to shuffling (always having one foot on the ground) but imagined how great it would feel to actually run (both feet in the air momentarily between strides) across the street and leap from the gutter up onto the curb. I did that yesterday, running for about 40 meters. In ‘The Day’ I would have called it jogging but there was the glide between footfalls. Everything worked, no squeaking and I couldn't dismiss how good it felt. Old dogs and new tricks, not exactly. The old dog part was real enough and the tricks were old as well, just long and far removed.
While fantasizing the run and ‘shoosh’ up to the curb, another ‘déjà vu’ trick resurfaced. Jumping from the back of my pickup truck to the ground was, once upon a time, easy-peasy. Like going feet first off a diving board, you literally hit the ground running, or walking in my case. But the moving parts all worked, no squeaking and I thought nothing of it. Now I fantasize about the tailgate leap. It would take some planning and a gradual, step by step progression of lesser, practice leaps but why not? Pick a soft spot and be ready to roll. I bet I can still do that. Rolling is a great way to bleed off energy from any kind of collision. We learned that in Parachute Jump School. A hard landing can bounce you straight away from your feet to your head (not good) if gravity and inertia have their way so you roll. It would be like skydiving just leave the sky part out.
All this fantasizing with running and leaping, long term memory kicks in. I spent four years, every free hour either maintaining my parachutes, traveling to and from parachute events, hanging out with jumpers and pilots, in the plane climbing-out to altitude and that short (20 - 60 seconds) of adrenaline rush. Then there was the happy reconciliation with the ground. After walking away from a good landing, safe on the ground was a good thing.
I don’t entertain any parachute-free-fall fantasies. Even then, (1960’s) it was expensive and I can’t imagine how costly it is now. They do have vertical wind tunnels where you can simulate free-fall. The air moves and you float on it like a kite. But that would be expensive as well. I have enough time to relearn the tailgate move. All I need is to work up some courage.
Walking is not taxing. I go three miles in an hour. When I get back to the parking lot I feel better than when I began. I had grown accustomed to shuffling (always having one foot on the ground) but imagined how great it would feel to actually run (both feet in the air momentarily between strides) across the street and leap from the gutter up onto the curb. I did that yesterday, running for about 40 meters. In ‘The Day’ I would have called it jogging but there was the glide between footfalls. Everything worked, no squeaking and I couldn't dismiss how good it felt. Old dogs and new tricks, not exactly. The old dog part was real enough and the tricks were old as well, just long and far removed.
While fantasizing the run and ‘shoosh’ up to the curb, another ‘déjà vu’ trick resurfaced. Jumping from the back of my pickup truck to the ground was, once upon a time, easy-peasy. Like going feet first off a diving board, you literally hit the ground running, or walking in my case. But the moving parts all worked, no squeaking and I thought nothing of it. Now I fantasize about the tailgate leap. It would take some planning and a gradual, step by step progression of lesser, practice leaps but why not? Pick a soft spot and be ready to roll. I bet I can still do that. Rolling is a great way to bleed off energy from any kind of collision. We learned that in Parachute Jump School. A hard landing can bounce you straight away from your feet to your head (not good) if gravity and inertia have their way so you roll. It would be like skydiving just leave the sky part out.
All this fantasizing with running and leaping, long term memory kicks in. I spent four years, every free hour either maintaining my parachutes, traveling to and from parachute events, hanging out with jumpers and pilots, in the plane climbing-out to altitude and that short (20 - 60 seconds) of adrenaline rush. Then there was the happy reconciliation with the ground. After walking away from a good landing, safe on the ground was a good thing.
I don’t entertain any parachute-free-fall fantasies. Even then, (1960’s) it was expensive and I can’t imagine how costly it is now. They do have vertical wind tunnels where you can simulate free-fall. The air moves and you float on it like a kite. But that would be expensive as well. I have enough time to relearn the tailgate move. All I need is to work up some courage.
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