Where is the cardio section?
- Oct 13, 2024
- 1 min read
Scott-
Two of our elders found a sweet gym near their compound, and were invited to join in for a work out anytime. It’s minimalist and rough-hewn. No spandex, yoga pads, or Perrier. Just raw iron and concrete. And the bench? Boards and sticks lashed together with twine and smoothed out by sweat and rain. No padding on the bench either. Everything has to survive the rainy season. Padding wouldn’t make it. Besides, it would ruin the aesthetic.
We haven’t seen a commercial weight set of any kind out here. But we have seen a lot of homemade weights in yards and on porches. Their homes seem too hot and small for exercise. Our neighbors are outside all the time. Kids wash their clothes and play outside; adults hold court on their porches and under trees in the shared land between homes. The lack of modern appliances keep people outside washing clothes and cooking their food. I wonder if my ancestors spent more time on the veranda and in their front yards before the invention of air-conditioners, washers and dryers, entertainment centers, and soft furniture seduced them to stay in.
I'm not much of a weight-lifter. An obvious enough fact for anyone who has seen me in a short-sleeve shirt. Even so, I'm still looking for the cardio section. Maybe someone has figured out how to make a treadmill out of palm leaves and grinding stones.
If this post doesn't bring you new senior couple recruits, nothing will! 🤣Miss you both.
Fun to think about this delightful gym! We had dinner on our back porch tonight and then hung out on the front porch with Camille, Doug, Marisha, 4 grandkids, the 2 little kids from next door, Camille's 13yo weekend foster guest (an absolutely delightful boy), and our neighbor's cat, Hocus. These are the best moments of life, surrounded by people, and enjoying God's handiwork outdoors. Wish I could send you my treadmill, Scott! I don't know how you're surviving without your regular exercise!
Your post reminds me of historical Emporia, Kansas, where every old home had a front porch. It was hotter inside than out so in the later afternoon everyone would be outside and neighbors got to know each other. Technology changed that, specifically air conditioning and tv. No one uses these porches anymore. They are all inside where it’s cool and their TV’s are all. Bottom line: no one knows their neighbors anymore. Little sense of community.Maybe we can learn from our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone. Have a good week and thanks for the post.