With this spring being unusually mild I've been walking a bit more compared to years past. I don't do so alone, though: I always feel Jenny is with me. During the day, I do chores, light work for my dad's company, administrative tasks, or maybe I'll go on a bike ride. When it's dinnertime, I eat like a fiend and hang out with the kids. When I'm in bed, I listen to YouTube until I fall asleep. But, when I'm walking, which I do once or twice each day, my time belongs entirely to Jenny. For decades, she was my walking buddy. It was during our walks that we escaped the kids and their extraordinarily sensitive ears. As such, in addition to getting exercise, those walks gave us an opportunity to talk about Dylan and Tyler. Jenny lived for taking care of them and talking about those two kids. Also, we made our most important decisions during our walks together: whether to go with public schools versus private for the boys, how to deal with my intractable parents, the next steps in our careers, etc. Even today, the content I come up with for this blog comes from my walks. I dictate into my phone as thoughts of Jenny come to mind and I then dump them into this space.
For all of her positive traits, one that stood out about Jenny was her ability to communicate. This only makes sense. After all, she had impeccable listening skills, a lockdown memory and an extraordinary command of the language. Unless it was a rare night out, those walks were my only opportunity to share my innermost thoughts with Jenny and to get her feedback, which I always starved for. To be conversing with her during our walks was a great gift. Moreover, she knew me so well and completely understood my message even if I could only offer a couple of sentences.
But, yes, I still talk to Jenny on my walks even though she's not physically next to me. I had a pastor once who, when told talking to God is a difficult concept for some, responded, "Imagine Him sitting in a chair next to you--that he's right there with you. What would you say?" Such is my approach with Jenny. I think of her close by and she seems real to me. And, others see that special connection I have with her. Indeed, a couple of weeks ago, when I had a dilemma related the kids' graduation (which was last Thursday), I bounced it off a friend. She thought for a bit then told me, "Just ask Jenny--she will give you the answer." Of course she would! Besides, after having been with Jenny for more than 24 years, I pretty much know how she would answer any questions I have--especially if they were about doing the right thing. We complemented each other so well. I was always the wild dreamer and she kept me grounded with a dose of reality. She still does.
***************
It's an old one-liner on Twitter, but I'll repeat it here: "Here's some advice about your workout: Nobody cares about your workout." (Sometimes you'll see "workout" replaced with "diet".) That said, I'll mention that walking was and still is my primary form of exercise. Jenny kept a good pace and I try to stick to it even today. Even though I was nine inches taller--and had proportionally longer legs--she was the one who kept us moving. Jenny role-modeled good health for me and every year she came back with a glowing report from her physical. Last month, I had my annual blood-work done. After the results came back, my doctor emailed me, "I think you've been exercising! Keep up the good work!" But, really, all I had been doing was walking with Jenny.
コメント