A Learning Experience

Several, actually - the latest of which involved sitting here, composing an entry about my last week's activities, and failing to notice that my battery was low. Suddenly, the screen went dark, and there went my post. So here I go, trying to remember -

I had planned to take the 10k walk with the Running Room group last Sunday, but something else came up, so I went out by myself on Saturday instead. The walk was long, but fun, to make a long story short.

Then I worked and worked (enough said) until this weekend, when I took the Coho to Washington to visit some very good friends. We had a lovely, relaxing couple of days together.

When I got back to Victoria, I intended to walk the 8k Victoria Marathon course, then take the bus home and watch the re-run of the World Cup final. I carefully avoided watching or hearing any news reports, so that I wouldn't hear who won. I walked to the bus station, only to discover that they don't have lockers any more. The lockers were pulled out a year ago. I guess I don't take buses often enough. My backpack contained my clothes for the weekend, toiletries, and two bath towels I had bought in Washington. I was also carrying a purse. There was no way I was going to walk the 8k with the pack on my back, so I settled for a walk up Douglas Street to a fabric shop. While I was in the shop, I heard horns honking. The sales clerk said "Oh, those crazy Italians! They just won the World Cup." So much for the element of surprise. In the end, though, I didn't mind, because I got to be in Victoria for the party. There were cars speeding up and down Douglas Street with horns blaring, Italian flags waving from their windows, and voices crying "Viva Italia!" While I waited for the bus, I sat on a bench in the Empress Hotel's rose garden and listened to a marimba band that was playing on the corner. It was a great finish to the weekend.

This morning I set out on a walk. I made several mistakes. First, I didn't map the route out first, so I felt a little aimless. Then, I didn't have any bananas, so I ate a nectarine instead. Nope. Bad idea. I only had $3 in my belt, and figured that would be enough. It wasn't. About five kilometers into the walk, I was decidedly tired, so I detoured to a supermarket to buy a Power Gel. I ate the gel, wishing I had enough money to buy a bottle of water to wash it down (Fruit Punch Gatorade really doesn't go well with chocolate gel). Much refreshed, though, I walked home, where I stretched, bathed, and finally mapped the route I had taken. 10.98k (6.82 miles) that felt much longer.

Along the route, I thought about my mother, who would be 90 years old today if she had lived. Creaky as I am, I'm still moving, and I'm eleven years older than my mom ever got to be, so I guess things aren't so bad.