I’d rather work than work out; MORE SNOW, PLEASE
No denying getting into shape is a worthy goal. Something to consider …
When the snow started falling on Christmas Eve, I was relieved. Finally, I thought, a reason to go outside and do something. I love shoveling snow, especially at night. I know I’m supposed to go for a walk or a run or a something or an anything every day, but I do not. I sit on my arse in front of the fireplace and if anyone looks at me sideways and suggests I’m being lazy, I explain that I’m working.
I am not always working. 2020 was a year of stutter starts for me, exercise-wise. I had two surgeries, the whole world got COVID, and my back took a month off from working like a back. I’m supposed to do gentle yoga stretches. I do them on the living room floor with two cats walking around beneath me like I’m London Bridge. They also ask when we can get back to sitting by the fire.
The idea was to take a daily walk. I see my neighbours doing it, I love where I live, and every trek, no matter what direction is taken, is a trip down memory lane. Well, for me it is. For whomever I sucker into coming with me it’s more like being stuck on a tourist walk and the person with the microphone never stops talking about themselves.
I have gone for four walks, out of a possible 316.
It’s not so bad when there’s yard work to do, and around here that is endless. A great deal of energy has gone into keeping the home base in good shape. That happens when you can’t go anywhere, and I’m beyond grateful that so many things need attention around here. It might also be a tiny part of why I was so glad to see snow fall and cover up all the leaves I didn’t get to.
I read about people who used the lockdown back in March as a reset, a time to start getting in shape. What a perfectly valid goal, I thought to myself. I should do that. Instead I went for four walks and watched a vaccine news clip where Joe Biden, a 78-year-old man, had better biceps than I did.
Christopher asked if he could have the hand weights. I gave them to him, because who are we kidding? Pammy said she’d found a fun dance workout and I asked her to send me the link. I haven’t opened it yet. I googled pilates and yoga you can do at home. I looked up the Canadian Air Force workout because I’d heard it was a complete workout in 11 minutes. I read it over, then looked at a picture of a fit young pilot for 11 minutes.
I joked on Twitter that to me, having leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge made me as happy as some people finding a pub with their favourite beer on tap. I stupidly bought boxes of appetizers, just like every other year, only there was no houseful of guests to feed them to. Did you know a box of mozzarella jalapeno sticks is a perfectly good dinner? Sometimes I arrange them on a piece of lettuce. The lettuce is rarely ending up in a salad.
I want more snow. I’m writing another piece elsewhere about the massive snowmageddon that hit Lambton County in southwest Ontario ten years ago with 90 centimetres of snow and blizzard conditions. The stories of how those communities rescued hundreds of stranded drivers and passengers are rather spectacular. I know COVID changes everything, but I yearn for that kind of event that reminds us we are all in something together. It’s hard to remember we are living in exactly that kind of moment, because being together, apart, is hard.
Let it snow.