Monday morning. I'm on a treadmill at the gym. (The fact that I've actually made it here on a Monday is remarkable.) I'm flipping through a magazine. After doing my usual 20 minutes, I stop and climb off. "PEDAL FASTER," says the treadmill monitor. I look at how far I've walked. 1.88 miles. "Oh, I didn't make my 2 miles today," I think ... letting the stupid monitor make me feel guilty. "Wait. I WALKED 1.88 MILES!," I think again. I mean ... HELLO ... I could've stayed in bed! I look at the monitor again. "PEDAL FASTER!" It is still screaming. "NO! I'm all finished today." I mentally scream back, feeling slightly empowered.Later Monday. I'm leaving my local fav coffee shop. I glance at the promo poster for their new energy drink. "The best days in life go fastest. Keep up." "NO!" I mentally scream back at it. I mean, I beg to differ but, NO. Maybe I'm too old, but I'm pretty much done trying to "keep up." Not with the Joneses. Not with life. I'm finding my own pace here. Or trying to, anyway. What the heck is the point of keeping up? With what? It's not like we're GOING anywhere.
Wednesday evening. I'm sitting on the sofa and I see a commercial on TV. Images of fancy, expensive things. Then families. "Chase what matters." Now, I know that's a clever play on the company name and I appreciate the markting effort here, but there's that pursuit thing again.
Today. I'm driving to work this morning. I turn a sharp corner in a mostly industrial district and there is an elderly lady crossing (jay walking) the street with a cane. In her aqua blue-green bathrobe and slippers. "Hey ... hurry ... can't you see the traffic?," thoughts race through my head. Then I look to see what she's heading for in the gravel parking lot across from her house. There are two little black kittens ... strays, I think. One is playing coy. He's dancing on his tippy toes, arched back rubbing against a telephone pole. He's hoping she'll come pet him. She does. In her bathrobe. Crossing a busy street. Not keeping up. Not pedaling faster. Just chasing what matters to her ... the little joys in life.
