I went for a walk one day and there it was. Standing in a neighbor’s driveway. FOR SALE. I never really wanted one, but Gene has been talking about having one for years. My question was always, “Where would we put it? It’s too big, it would mess up my house and besides, I don’t need one.” He would try to convince me that he would take good care of it and that it would fit nicely in the garage….
The next thing I know he is walking it down the middle of our street. “I got a really good deal,” he says with a big smile on his face. He carefully moves it into the garage and before you know it even gets on it.. “Whatever,” I shrug and go back inside.
As the mild spring days warm up into summer heat, he decides a better place to keep it is on the back covered patio. Fresh air and great views, but still protected from the burning rays of our Arizona sun. I try not to notice all of the space it takes up as he daily sets it in motion.
We are getting ready to leave for almost 3 months of travel. It’s not a good idea to keep it on the patio while we’re gone. So I begrudgingly help to wedge it through the back door to bring it inside. We return home for brief stints between trips. I ignore it…
Our travels bring us to cool places even winter temps in some. From Southern Africa, to Peru to Iceland we walked and hiked in amazing places. A road trip takes us to higher elevations in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and finally our summer favorite – the cool pines of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Road weary and 22 different hotels and lodges later, it was good to finally be home. Though the end of August was here, there is still another month and a half of heat to contend with. But I have to walk…I am well over 1030 consecutive days. I pass by my living room and there it is. The “thing” that I ignored, didn’t want or need. “I’ll walk with it just this once and only for 10 minutes,” I decide. I get up on it with a magazine to help me pass the time and before I know it 30 minutes have gone by. The next day I do the same. A week goes by and I’ve read a book. As the heat lingers, another book is read. I’m addicted. One day as I step down after finishing my walk, I fondly think 'It certainly is an elephant in the middle of my living room.'
But I swear as soon as the heat is over it is going back in the garage
next to Gene’s newest yard sale purchase – a weight bench…
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