A Very Blusterous Day (with apologies to Owl)

Coming out from the Post Office, I debated whether I should turn right or left. Right would take me to the park, left would take me home. The guy on my left shoulder (he's the one with the horns) said slyly

"Ah shure, you can walk tomorrow. 'Tis terrible cold and windy today! Go home and make that meatloaf you were planning on.....Wouldn't want the OC starving to death when he gets home tonight!"

The guy on my right shoulder (he's the one with the halo) pursed his lips and tsk-tsked.

"You've become very lazy lately; no yoga, no walking. The park is just around the corner. I think you know what you have to do!"

Guilted into it, I turned right, much to the chagrin of the guy with the horns.

The wind nearly wrenched the car door off it's hinges when I parked and got out. Grimly I laced up my sneakers, and told myself (and the two shoulder boys) --- "Just one lap then."

But as I set off at a brisk pace, brown leaves chasing each other noisily across my path, I felt exhilarated. It was a beautiful day, in spite of the wind. The sun was high, the sky a crisp blue, and I was way overdue for some energetic exercise. The toughest part was taking that first step.

Some lunatics optimists were out on the tennis courts, but they didn't stand a chance. The wind had it sewn up---game, set and match.

On a slight incline towards the end of the first lap, I leant into the wind to avoid being blown off my feet, but the cool, fast-moving air was blowing the cobwebs out of my head, so I kept going for another lap. The badminton court stood empty ---nobody was that optimistic! The wind would pretend to die down for a minute, merely ruffling the grass, then suddenly roar through the treetops as though to say "Ha! Fooled you!"

I thought I might stop after two, but my feet kept going and I finished a third lap. I'm hazy on whether I did a fourth or not---I lose count easily while walking. It loosens my grey matter, thoughts and ideas flow smoothly, one into the other. I'll think of wonderful, clever things to write but inevitably, when I get home, I can't remember any of them, or, in an un-walking state, they don't seem quite so brilliant!

It was lovely to climb back into the sun-warmed car, out of the gale. The little devil sulked in the back seat all the way home, while halo boy sat up front with me, beaming his approval. The meatloaf got made, and a quiche to boot, but the OC when he arrived home, after two solid days of driving, didn't even want a smackerel of something ---just a cup of tea and to collapse and his bed!