My friends told me that once you are over 35, you start noticing the decline of your physical strength. A month before turning 35 years old, I decided to exercise more frequently. I ride a bike for an hour to my German class twice a week. On the weekend, I go jogging for an hour with Peter. But this morning, after I came home from grocery shopping, I suddenly wanted to go jogging and make it a habit. If I waste my time in front of computer, why not utilize the time for something meaningful?
I quickly changed into my jogging wear, which is not really the professional gear that real runners wear, wore my sneakers and left the apartment before I change my mind. The sky was gray, and the field behind our house was still foggy from the morning mist. I ran fast when passing by people, just to make me look good. But when I run up the steep slope, I almost gave up the idea of jogging. Then I remembered that I wanted to stay fit for the day when our kids arrive. Would I be able to lift them up without straining my lower back? This thought really helped push my heavy butt forward. When I finally reached a flat ground, I saw a lady jogging towards me. When she passed by me, I gave a quick glance at her and saw her gray hair. There is someone who is jogging so fast and steady at her age! That motivated me to run all the way up to the hill. Once I reached the top, I looked down the small village we live in and saw a tram running through our neighborhood. It looked like a lego land with real people moving.
As I run down the hill, I heard the 12 o’clock bell from a nearby church. When I got closer to our apartment, I realized that I went jogging at the wrong time. In Switzerland, school kids come home for lunch. And there are like 3 schools near our apartment. I saw some elementary school children walking home, poking dead insects or hiding from a classmate around the corner, just like I used to do when I was a school girl. As I approached the nearest school, all of a sudden I was running against the tide of students pouring out of the gate. To avoid a collision, I took a side street which I had never seen before and took me to the unrecognizable residential area. It took me a while until I found our apartment again.
When I came home, I said to myself “I did it!” and hoped this jogging thing will not end today but at least last a few more times.
