Yesterday, the situation was
1. I needed some sun. In the last 2-3 weeks temperatures around here have been in the 100s*, give or take a few degrees because of the humidity, so people have wisely stayed indoors.
2. I needed to lose a little flab. It's what happens when you get past a certain age. ;)
3. I needed to get out of an invitation, because, well, I'm too old for that
My solution was to put on shoes shortly before 6 PM, slather on some sunscreen, fill up a water bottle, and walk. The sun, which was still high up, would take care of the first, and the exercise and exhaustion would take care of the rest. I followed a nearby bayou upstream without really knowing where it would take me. I later figured out I had walked four miles each way--eight miles, or about 13 km, in three hours.
I do not know of any normal person who decides to walk 13 km on a whim. I also do not know of any normal person who walks 2.5 hours pretending there's music playing in his ears. My tiny little MP3 player ran out of power half an hour after I set out, but I thought keeping the earbuds in place would look... ...well, sexier. Hi hi. When I thought I'd gone far enough that no one I know would see me, the shirt came off. Two minutes later, I went, Wait, I know that apartment complex. I have friends there. Ha ha. But the shirt did not come back on, it was too hot to be walking shirted.
The walk was spectacular. As the hour progressed, the weather got better and better until it was lovely. The bayou snaked through wooded, probably affluent, residential neighborhoods. I was impressed at how different the city looked from out there, with the high-rises I know so well jutting up from a surprisingly dense tree line. At some point, it occurred to me that there was, finally, enough in this city to keep me here. All I need is a real job and a wife who will understand that it is possible for people to get a high out of walking for three hours. She doesn't have to walk with me, she just has to let me. Hi hi.
Indeed, there was something validating about turning around and looking back at how far I'd walked and still had enough to walk all the way back. Next time, I just need to bring a little bit more water.
*100 F = (100-32)*5/9 C = 38 C
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