Step By Step
Since I can't go to the gym on account of the germ situation and it's too cold to even think about going outside, I've been trying to increase my activity level by running up and down the stairs in my house 30 times a day. It's scary how weak and out of shape I am. But more than anything, it's a boring repetitive exercise, and to pass the time, I find myself absent-mindedly counting the steps as I go.
This reminds me of a story.
When I first bought this house, almost seven years ago, I hired a painter named David to do some work for me. Sometimes he brought his girlfriend Angie along to help, and it wasn't long before Angie and I struck up a nice little friendship. One day she came to pay me a social visit, without David, and she brought her three young children with her.
Having always lived in a trailer, these kids had never been inside a two-story house before in their lives, and they were intrigued by the stairs. Especially the oldest girl, Magnolia, who was six at the time. Long after the other two had tired of playing with the steps and moved on, Magnolia was still going up and down, up and down, with a look of fierce concentration on her face.
After about ten minutes of this, she came over to me and said, "Miss Lymphopo? Did you know that you have the exact same number of steps going up as you do going down? I checked a whole bunch of times, and every single time it was exactly the same. How did you make it do that?"
I've lost touch with Angie, but good lord, Magnolia must be thirteen by now. Wherever she is, she might be happy to know there are still 18 steps going up, and 18 steps going down. I think of her every time I count and recount and it comes out the same.
This reminds me of a story.
When I first bought this house, almost seven years ago, I hired a painter named David to do some work for me. Sometimes he brought his girlfriend Angie along to help, and it wasn't long before Angie and I struck up a nice little friendship. One day she came to pay me a social visit, without David, and she brought her three young children with her.
Having always lived in a trailer, these kids had never been inside a two-story house before in their lives, and they were intrigued by the stairs. Especially the oldest girl, Magnolia, who was six at the time. Long after the other two had tired of playing with the steps and moved on, Magnolia was still going up and down, up and down, with a look of fierce concentration on her face.
After about ten minutes of this, she came over to me and said, "Miss Lymphopo? Did you know that you have the exact same number of steps going up as you do going down? I checked a whole bunch of times, and every single time it was exactly the same. How did you make it do that?"
I've lost touch with Angie, but good lord, Magnolia must be thirteen by now. Wherever she is, she might be happy to know there are still 18 steps going up, and 18 steps going down. I think of her every time I count and recount and it comes out the same.
posted by Lymphopo at Saturday, December 09, 2006
7 Comments:
I found your blog and i feel... scaried. You're so strong... I don't know what kind of things i'd do in your situation.
Sorry about my poor english.
Greetings from a young man from Spain, crazy and a bit hipocondriac (i write this well? I hope so).
Welcome to the party!
I've a Budokon (yoga, martial arts and meditation sequence) dvd that could quite possibly have a twin that could go in the mail...
I'm so glad you are writing again...I've missed it since Life on another Planet. Yes it's annmargrit from the Well. I hope you have found a warm place to hang out. I remember you asked for other people to kvetch. Well I'm telling you I 've been shopping in Berkeley and it is nearly impossible to find something around $2or $ 3 for multiple office people gifts. Most of the stuff at Sweet Dreams is kinda silly you know. Global Exchange is still good. Other problems....garden hose sprung a leak; had to get new radiator for old car, also need 2 tires and repair of the boot that greases the axyl. Well that's enough kvetching for now.
Too cute, 18 steps going up and going down. In the Jewish religion, the number 18 corresponds to the Hebrew letters that spell "chai" (khai), meaning "life". I say those 18 steps are a good, if boring, sign of your life continuing on. If going up and down forwards is boring, how about going up and down backwards? Might be a little dangerous, but I think you're up to the challenge.
BTW, I lived in an old Victorian house back in PA. On those frigid nights, we'd leave the water drip-drip-dripping from every faucet in the house.
Mmmmm, kvetching. I need to replace my roof, it leaks; need to repaint the outside, it has peeled, also it will need to be a different color because the roof will be a different color because the kind of room I have now is no longer legal. (Wood shake.) I need to replace all the windows in the house because I cannot keep the place warm enough otherwise, and that will mean reinstalling all the alarm gizmos, maybe I should just hang curtains instead? I am probably not the sort of person who should be in charge of maintaining a house.
If you can go up and down that flight of stairs multiple times a day, you are still in better shape than me!
oh, my. i guess judy doesn't live very far from me, since i know the stores she mentions.
30 times a day up and down stairs sounds very aerobic. i've never had the muscle definition you have currently, though, much less that you recently owned.
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