never used this tip....yet

mine hang inside

walk blog 17

Now this is a little freaky.
I had mentioned earlier about the woman who was so encouraging to me with my walking .
Then I had the chance to meet her.
But I also had another person that I had never met
who was quite inspirational to me.


posted in walkblog 15 last July

CONFESSIONS OF A STREET WALKER #1

During the summer of 2014 I decided to try to get a little bit healthier.  Knowing that for me it is either - eat less or move more - I thought that moving more might be easier.

I was inspired by my sister who took up running and my brother who started walking. I was also inspired by a guy whom I have never met. We used to pass him on Sunday mornings while we were driving to church. He was often wearing shorts, even in the cooler weather, and had lots of hair tamed by a bandana and he was out there, most every week, pounding the pavement. That guy impressed me with his commitment.

So I had always wanted to meet that guy. 

To just tell him 'thanks for being such an inspiration'

But what are the chances that I will run into him?

Well I would be walking into him and he would be running.

I sometimes saw him out along Upper Wentworth 

and then along Stonechurch but it was at different times and days.

And then I started to feel like a stalker.

Thinking about how I could let him know how much 

his example meant to me.

In my head I called him Robert. 

Because that is what I thought he looked like. 

A Robert. 

Or a Michael. 

He could also be a Michael.

So how is that for weird?

And when you think about it

to talk to him I would have to run. 

Unless I planned on tackling him.
So this is not looking like a promising endeavour.

As it turns out....

I was walking to Swiss Chalet because I was going to have lunch 

with Mom and Leanne and Grace last Friday. 

I walked down Upper Wentworth and then 

I went down Stonechurch.

Huffing down the street with my 

- still unaccustomed to the cold weather - 

body I could tell that someone was coming up behind me.

As I moved over to give the person room I saw that is was 

the bandana dude himself. 

Jogging right past me on my left.

I tried to quickly tell him what an inspiration 

that he was to me for all these years.

That I watched him out in all kinds of weather.

That he was one of my inspiratons to walk 

every street on the mountain.

He slowed somewhat. 

Enough to tell me his name when I asked.

I'm Michael. 

And you keep up with the walking. 

And he was off.

All I have to say is wow.

Holy Ship Batman!