Mike’s Daily Rant 10/24/2012 Topic: The Long Walk Home

I have a neighbor that I love to hang around and talk to. We sometimes talk for hours any given weekend and don’t even realize how long the conversation has lasted. Last night I walked over to his house and we started another filibuster. We needed another person’s view on the topic. (Politics) He says “I know! We can go ask Basil. (Basil is a neighbor of ours that lives a few houses down.) He gives fair opinions.” I agree to it. So we walk outside and he grabs his keys. I’m thinking that he’s getting ready to lock the door.

He hops in his truck and cranks it. I’m confused now. I ask, “Didn’t you say we’re going to Basil’s house?” He says “yeah! Hop in.” I look down the street, while pointing, and say “but his house is right there!” This walk will only take us 5 minutes, save gas, reduce air pollution and we will be able to get the heart rate up just a tad. He does not see it my way. So I have to prove a point now. He asks me to get in the truck again and I just start sprinting to Basil’s house. I get there in 35 seconds. He hops out of the truck and yells down the street, “So!!!” Then I sprint back and say “see if we walk it should only take us 3 minutes.” He looks at me and shakes his head. He turns the truck off and starts walking with me. We make it to Basil’s house and he is a little out of breath but he says that it was nice.

My neighbor appears to be in good health. He is not obese but has a few extra pounds. He is just a little out of shape but I think this small walk opened his eyes to it. His wife runs or jogs with me from time to time and he makes jokes like, “If you run away with Mike, don’t think about coming back.” So on our walk back to his house he tells me that this 3 minute walk really shed light on how little he gets out and moves. He said that he has made a commitment to walking around our subdivision for 25 to 30 minutes daily. I praised him and told him that I’m proud of him.

My neighbor is not the only person that I know who drives short distances that can easily be walked. Small activity adds up during the day, such as taking the stairs versus the elevator. Another small activity that helps with activity is taking the parking spot in the back versus the one in the front.

So the short walk to our neighbor’s house turned into the long walk home because so much happened on the way there.

MikeMontana1914