Saturday, May 26, 2018

Walks with Wiz

I've been walking a lot more lately, having embarked on a buddy exercise program with my friend and neighbor. We used to try and meet up to walk, but that only worked sporadically, so now we have a system where we text each other the evening before and say what we plan to do for exercise the next day, and then we text each other once we've completed it. We don't judge the exercise plan, we just cheer each other along. We also agreed to start by setting a very low bar for ourselves so we almost could not help but achieve it. It's working! For the past three weeks, on six of seven days each week, I have done some form of exercise—walking, yoga, or strength training with bands and presses, sometimes a mix of all three. My friend is a walker, and she also works with the exercise bands, and best of all, she had a wonderful gallows sense of humor about all this.


My very favorite way to exercise is to meet my daughter when she walks the various dogs she takes care of while their owners are away. Currently, she's dog sitting a little guy named Wiz. His owner travels a lot, so Wiz is with my girl a lot. Wiz does not like to walk. I've never seen such an indoor dog. He goes out, does his business and then tries to run back inside. My daughter isn't having that: a dog needs exercise, and so Wiz walks, and along with the two of them each evening, so do I. Wiz gets taken outside in the morning and late at night, too, but for me the sweet spot is the walk when my daughter gets home from work. Yesterday, we went out earlier than usual, because my girl was supposed to meet friends for happy hour at an outdoor beer garden. Oh to be twenty-something with the city at your feet!—though I don't remember having nearly as rousing a social life when I was her age. Maybe because she grew up in the city (while I came to it later) her roots here are deep and wide, with many different circles of friends. She was wearing a bright red top that looked festive yesterday, and the blooms were out in the garden, and I wanted to take pictures. My darling daughter is not nearly so compliant about that as she used to be. But yesterday, she obliged me.


In other news my son passed his state boards and is now a New York State paramedic! He got a 95 on his final. He really studied hard all year and now he has just one more exam to go—regionals—and then we will attend his graduation in early June. He's hoping to get placed at a station house in Brooklyn, where he did his fieldwork, and enjoyed the variety and challenge of the calls. My husband once said of him that he's a kid who reaches the top of a mountain and then looks around to see where the next peak is that he can climb. He's already climbing the next peak to becoming a full fledged firefighter, his lifelong dream. I know I've said this before but my mother's heart wishes he would stay on the medic side of emergency rescue. He actually loves being an emergency medic, and is also now thinking of going back to school to become a nurse practitioner. Another mountain. May he continue to climb.


As long as I'm posting photos of my family, here's another one, this of my husband, who I can never manage to get good pictures of because as soon as I lift my camera he scowls at me. But we were out having dinner at our favorite neighborhood place the other night, the doors were flung open, the evening was balmy, and life felt easy and good.





15 comments:

  1. What an incredibly handsome group your family is. Just- all of you are stunning!
    I'm so proud of you for exercising. It's hard to get going, isn't it? Not just with the whole concept but every time you do it. Well, it is for me. Once I take that first step, it's not so bad but getting to that first step is difficult. I can find good reasons not to go every day. And I love your exercise buddy concept. Someone to be accountable to. That is wise.
    And good Lord! Congratulations to your son! I know you and your husband must be so proud of him. I hope he's proud of himself, too.

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  2. Agreeing with Mary, your family is top flight and gorgeous. I would trust your son wholeheartedly in an emergency! I would trust your daughter with my most precious dog! Lovely!

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  3. What a beautiful post this is. Your family life is rich, and those adult kids are turning out just the way we all hope our kids will, with meaningful work and personal happiness. Drink it in; drink it in.

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  4. Beauty runs in your family! Your girl is truly radiant. Congratulations to your son, well done!
    Xoxo
    Barbara

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  5. What lovely adults your kids are. Congratulations to your son, and long may you walk.

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  6. So wonderful! The loveliness, the exercising with a buddy and being accountable, your son’s success and desire to be better... I love your family!

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  7. Good grief, y'all are such a good looking group! Congratulations to your son on the passing of the boards.

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  8. I agree with all the above comments......lovely photos of a delightful family.

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  9. Everything in this post is wonderful, your family, your exercise program and the dog!

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  10. You have the most beautiful family. I love reading about them all, their dreams and successes. It's wonderful getting to know them virtually. It makes the world feel a little safer and better.

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  11. Lordy, you have a handsome bunch of people around you.

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  12. Congratulations to your son. Love the photos. My husband hates having his photo taken too, also scowls. He thinks the looks too big. He is big. I don't call him the big guy for nothing:)

    I used to exercise almost everyday but find I am so tired and busy now. By busy, I mean, I find something else that needs to be done.

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  13. what a beautiful family and congratulations to your handsome son!!!

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  14. Beautiful pictures, as always! I've also never seen a dog who didn't like a walk! Bravo to your son for passing his exams with such flying colors. And as for your husband, I can identify -- Dave HATES having his picture taken (ironic, living with me!) and I don't have many of him that are very good.

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  15. Your family is gorgeous and I like how you describe your son as always on the lookout for another mountain to scale.

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