Deborah Woehr

I went on a nature hike with a new acquaintance yesterday. Yes, I actually went outside! We took a two-mile hike near our homes. All I can say right now is, “Ouch.”

I’m embarassingly out of shape. This comes from 20 years of working in admin, and, well . . . sitting on my butt in front of the computer for 12+ hours per day over the past decade. I had to stop several times as we walked up the hills because I kept getting out of breath. While my partner was talking about her plans to bike one of the longer trails today, all I could think about was curling up with a large oxygen tank.

What’s crazy is that I would like to go again. In the spring, the hills are emerald green with spots of golden poppies. And the view from the hills is breathtaking.

Later in the afternoon, I picked up my boys. The youngest gets out first, so I grab a book and go early in order to have some good reading time. On the way to pick up the older one, I told him about my hike. Although he didn’t express any desire to go with me, he told me that P.E. was his favorite subject in school.

I don’t know why I was surprised, but I was. Last weekend, he and his friends were kicking a ball over the roof of our house. Keep in mind that he is maybe 4′6″ and managing to kick a ball over an 1,800 square-foot house. To me, that’s impressive. I can picture him as a punter on a football team.