Running, Running, Running

Just a little deep thought for the day. I read a book "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" awhile ago. In the book she refers to different stages of one's life. 'Rice and salt days' is where I am right now. The days of labor, raising chilren, creating your life. And this part of my life is busy. Not too busy, I have plenty of "down-time." You know, time to sit and inhale information in all forms- written, conversations, internet, tv, music, etc. But in general, this is the busy time of keeping a house, raising kids, forming a career and indulging in hobbies and relationships.

One thing I am always struggling with is making time to be active. My days at home are relatively active, I'm on the go, running the kids here and there, chasing them on the playground equipment in warm weather, or climbing the stairs all over the house hauling things and little people from one level to another. And yet, I know somehow, to lose any real weight with this body, I need to really exercise. So I hop on the treadmill once in awhile, or take a walk with the dog, or take a bike ride. But it's always at the loss of something else- time with my kids, time doing taking care of the house, it becomes my "free time" activity as someone else usually has to be watching my children for me.

I don't particularly love being active. I do like taking walks and riding my bike, I'm not a huge fan of a health club type atmosphere (though I like lifting weights on their machines), so I constantly feel guilty that I don't make this a priority.

So, this brings me to my deep thought. Lately, a few times, I have come across some local elderly walking at a very slow, deliberate pace and it really hit me. It make me feel even more guilty for not getting in more exercise while I can and do have the ability to do so. It also struck me that this phase, this turbo-charged life that is on hyper-drive, will change into something else, a new phase, at some point. My body will slow down, my life will slow down, and I will probably walk slowly into Trader Joe's and watch another younger woman and her 3 year old enjoying the thrill of piling the cart high with grocery after grocery and counting down the minutes it takes to accomplish one of the 12 activities on their "to do" list. I guess it isn't a big revelation, but it has been on my mind.