Monday, March 16, 2020 – Let’s Get Physical

It is 9 a.m. on a cloudy morning. Canada geese are sitting on a waterfall honking. Park employees have been up much earlier raking leaves. Everywhere I look there is a giant black plastic bag full of castoffs from the trees. The trees shed their leaves to survive harsh weather conditions. It helps them conserve water and energy. We must survive by getting enough exercise to prevent lethargy and give us energy.

I appreciate the energy of park employees who make the surroundings so clean and beautiful. They work under all kinds of weather conditions and contort their bodies by kneeling, stooping, bending, reaching, stretching, etc. If we all do the park employee job/workout, we will be in great physical shape.

In the afternoon, I walk on a sunny path behind houses with tall wooden fences. Three houses are having new fences installed. The meticulous precision required to build a fence has always intrigued me. There are many steps involved requiring physical labor, not to mention the mental exercise of measuring correctly. You must dig holes, mix concrete, position the posts, attach rails to the posts, attach pickets to the rails and attach the post caps. Perhaps we should all build a fence for an intense physical workout.

Whether you rake leaves, build fences, walk, bike, jog or run, it is important to keep your body in good physical shape — especially during this cloistered time when it is so easy to collapse into that cushy sofa and binge watch TV programs/movies. According to WebMD.com, when you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in the body — like that of morphine! So, don’t take morphine or other drugs — just exercise, and you will feel like you did.

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