Evening Joy Rides

The other day my husband and I found ourselves childless, they were with friends, so we took advantage of the chance to go on an evening ride through Old Town together.  We used to do this almost daily when my kids were younger.  We’d have one in a bike seat and the other on a tandem attachment and head for the park.

When my husband visited his grandparents in Midland as a child, they finished each day with a similar ritual: supper, a walk, and Yahtzee.   My grandmother’s evenings were much the same (my grandfather took his walks early each day)  and when I went with her she seemed so tall and her legs so fast, I struggled to keep up.  She’ll get a kick out of that now that even my son is taller than her and she doesn’t feel very fast.   They were and still are a vibrant picture of what healthy living can do.

But, we’ve had to work at being active since we moved back home.  Where once we lived in a neighborhood alive with lots of families outside at night, pulling toddlers in wagons, down paths, now we have narrow, unlit, heavily trafficked roads.   I still try to entice the kids to go for evening walks and rides.  Sometimes I force.   But when the mom is saying, “Hey, I know! Let’s jump in the trampoline!” you know the teenage years have set in.

But this night was cool and lovely and no enticement was necessary.