Accents
Walk with me!
George Clooney, he wasn't. Nonetheless, I would have loved to walk with him. He was your ordinary white American guy—a big hunk, hair a shade of brown, a six-footer or probably more. I don't go for appearances, nor am I mesmerized by celebrity status. If I mentioned Clooney, it's because the movie star is an activist, UN's "Messenger of Peace" and fund-raiser for war-torn Darfur in Africa. Activists are always interesting to talk with, and a conversation with George Clooney on his Darfur experience would definitely make a long walk very interesting, educational, even entertaining.
The American was unknown to me. (I didn't know his name, nor did I have a business to ask.) Let me just call him Joe. Remember how we commonly call these Stateside aliens as Joe, just plain Joe as a universal badge to their anonymity. Gee, but I'm prolonging a short story.
Joe took a ride with about five of us co-passengers in a jeep bound for Oton. Somewhere after we passed the boundary of Arevalo and Oton, Joe appeared rather uneasy—looking out, kind of sizing up Oton, "the place to be" as the roadside tourist come-on in Brgy. San Nicolas proclaims it. He faced to the left, faced to the right, then slightly moved forward, then backward. Certainly perturbed, this alien from not-so-outer-space.
In crisp Ilonggo, we co-passengers of Joe concluded that he didn't know where he was going. As we reached the junction of San Antonio and Lambuyao, Joe told the driver to stop. He paid his fare and got off. We who were left in the jeep were convinced that Joe had lost his way. I told the rest of the passengers that I won't go up my house, instead I'd wait for Joe if he did proceed along the road to the poblacion. I would ask him where he was going as I might be able to help him with directions.
After about five minutes, there was Joe with his long strides, and I just couldn't help asking where he was going. "Did you lose your way? I might be able to help." He mumbled about the distance being a little farther "to the Langusta house near the rice mill." Absolutely, Joe knew where he was going. And surprise, surprise, his curt reply was: "Just walking to exercise." Gosh, mystery solved! Long-winded intro, huh.
Now let's get talking, and later, get walking — to exercise.
Randy, my physician daughter here in South Carolina, regularly receives a publication of The Arthritis Foundation, Arthritis Today, an absorbing read whether you're arthritic or not. I'm sharing these excerpts from Stepping Up, an article by Mary Anne Dunkin in the journal's March-April 2008 issue:
For people of any age with arthritis, walking is especially good medicine. It strengthens muscles, which helps shift pressure from joints and reduce pain. And walking repeatedly compresses and releases the cartilage in your knees, helping to circulate synovial [joint] fluid that bring oxygen and nutrients, and nourishing your joints. When joints don't get this nourishment, they deteriorate faster.
Head down the road to good health. Start with these five strategies for walking success:
1. Find a buddy. One of the best ways to start and maintain a regular walking program is to find a friend committed to walking with you. Recruiting a walking buddy really may help if you're a senior. Walking with a friend—human or canine [your dog]—makes you more safe and secure.
2. Do something different. To make walking more pleasurable, find ways to make it different and interesting. Vary your route, [but] the same route can be interesting with a little attention and creativity … Be aware of the clouds in the sky, the movement of the trees in the breeze, the feeling of the sun on your skin.
3. Get good shoes. Nothing spoils a good walk faster than aching feet. A pair of shoes is virtually the only equipment you need for walking, so it's important to choose the right pair.
4. Track your progress. It may sound simple, but keeping track of how far, long and often you walk can give you a real sense of achievement. Experts advise starting with attainable goals—say, walking from your house to the next corner, or walking around the block—and then, once you achieve those goals, setting new ones.
5. Ditch the excuses. No doubt, there are other demands on your time and energy. Time—or the lack of it—is the No. 1 barrier to exercise. Yet, people who make exercise a priority find the time… Try making your walk do double duty. Walk to a nearby friend's house for a visit, or do nearby errands on foot. Come up with an alternate plan for getting around other barriers: If the weather is bad, walk at the mall or at an indoor track at the gym. On days when your joints ache or you're really tired, take a shorter walk. But keep moving—a brief walk may end up giving you enough energy for a longer one.
I take a twenty- or thirty-minute walk daily. You may not want to walk with me, okay. But just walk. Remember how you got peeved when the driver stopped the jeep you were riding a few feet away from the entrance to your house? You muttered some unmentionables because you wanted him to stop right in front of your house, not any distance farther or shorter. You got so peeved you told him to back off the vehicle, as if you even wanted the jeep to go up your house.
Don't grumble if the driver has dropped you steps away from your destination. Walk. Just walk. You're doing some exercise. Remember, walking is good medicine. So, walk with me, will you?
(Comments to lagoc@hargray.com)