Back To The Walks

So it was a record hot December in Miami, which gave me a ready excuse to procrastinate about resuming my daily walks, but last night D1 gave me that doe eyed look that said "Dad -- I don't want you to drop before I have grandkids for you to meet," so I took the cliched route and pledged to eat better and exercise more in the new year. The leftover bagels from last Sunday's brunch are now safely gone (I polished them off), and breakfasts will be healthier oatmeal with fruit. Lunch will be taking the great line from the Sopranos, when Bobby toddled onto a scene "Ya know, you could eat a SALAD once in awhile." And I plan to walk at least 10 miles per week, global warming or not. I started last night, with the strange rescue dog. I only encountered the FHP trooper, and we exchanged New Year's greetings, and then I admired some of the lovely holiday lights my neighbors installed. This am I decided to go it dog-less, and the beauty of the route struck me, as always. We truly live in a tropical park, and the sights of the foliage and smells of the blooms are delightful. I encountered my neighbor Mike, a retired property management exec, whose daughter is a little older than D1. He told me Katie was married, to a Yale med school student, and they have a condo in the Gables. Katie works at her Dad's management company, and had a furry sister, a black lab named Sophie. Alas, Sophie was put down last year, but now there is Julia, a yellow pup who bounded over to me in the way only Labrador pups do -- all happiness and energy. We caught up about kids, and dogs -- classic suburban Dad stuff. And then I walked around the corner and encountered another neighbor, walking his dog. He's a long time government lawyer -- already over 25 years and another 8 to go, and we caught up on our kids. I told him about D1 opening her practice, and he said "Wow -- that's a big step for someone so young -- going out on her own," it it struck me that a professional who has always worked for a large organization would feel exactly that way. This fellow has always soldiered on dutifully, doing a good job, but if he had to start his own practice, would probably jump out of a building, instead. On the other hand, if I had to work in a large corporate setting, I'd jump out of the building, rather than put up with silly rules and power hungry bureaucrats... Different strokes, as the saying goes... So here's to a leaner Daddy in the USA as the year glides on... There ARE lots of reasons to want to stick around.