Beach Boys

Dowdy - Ben - Matt

If you read my previous post you may have noted that I joined a gym recently.  And, NO, I didn’t do this to meet women.  I can assure you that wasn’t the reason and in fact stay very much to myself during the process of working out.  Actually, I talk to almost nobody and typically have music blasting away in my ear-buds.  No, the primary reason I did this was to avoid time in an empty house more than anything else.  However, I’ve actually wanted to do something like this for more than ten years.  Unfortunately “life” just seemed to get in the way for one reason or another.  You know how it is, get up go to work, come home and then do it again.  I can tell you this though, this is the best thing that I have done for myself in a long time.  I am deriving so many benefits from this I felt compelled to come here and encourage my family, friends and other readers, to do the same.

There is a large degree of irony in this for me…  You see, when I was in college I was a runner.  I picked up the habit just after I got to school and got to the point where I was running up to eight to ten miles a day.  Once I graduated and got a job I got out of the habit but missed it.  It was about this time I met Lisa and we got married.  Shortly after we got married I tried to convince Lisa to start running with me.  She had no interest and I didn’t want to go without her.  The years started passing and not too long after Abby was born Lisa decided to start running.  By this time I was in no shape to run and felt that I just didn’t have time.  Of course, as many of you know, Lisa continued to run and right up to the end, ran on a daily basis.  Over the years, she continued to encourage me to get more exercise and I continued to avoid it.  She NEVER nagged me about it but I knew deep down in her heart she wished that I would do something.  So, I do find it rather ironic that here I am now almost five years after her departure walking, running, weight lifting and swimming laps.  Naturally, I wish I had done this a long time ago and deeply wish that we could be doing it together…

I have only been doing this for a few weeks and I already feel the positive effects.  I am sleeping a little better, I feel better and better about myself.  Rather than feeling tired I feel more revitalized and energized.  It has helped to reduce my anxiety and I have even dropped a few unwanted and unneeded pounds.  I think the hardest part was just getting started.  Now, I look forward to going to the gym and find myself disappointed when my schedule won’t allow me time for it.

And to think, I was just looking for an escape from an empty house…!

Matt - Myself

On another note, this past weekend was Friends & Family weekend at camp Jekyll.  I had been looking forward to the trip down to see Matt pretty much since he left.  It was great to see him even if he did act like he didn’t have time for me much of the weekend.  In talking with some of my friends with sons of the same age, this seems pretty typical.  They tend not to talk much and pretty well seem to have the attitude that we parents don’t even exist.

Although this was rather frustrating, I tried to be tolerant of this for most of the weekend.  After all, I tend to believe that they don’t even realize they are doing this.  I was just about at my wits end when I was finally able to corner Matt and have him to myself for an hour or so.  Toward the end of this time, Matt’s roommate, Dowdy, came back to the room with a rather perturbed look on his face.  When I asked him what was bothering him he replied that he had just got a chewed out by his parents for not spending enough time with the family for the last day or so.  I must admit, I laughed out loud…

See Oats At Sundown

It was also really great to get back to the beach.  It’s been a couple of years since we hit the coast and, while I do prefer the Gulf to the Atlantic either one can be rather enjoyable.  I didn’t realize just how much I missed the feeling of being on a beach.  There’s just something wonderful about all that sand, sun, surf and fresh ocean air.  While, I did spend a fair amount time by myself I enjoyed it so much I may just have to drive back down there again this coming weekend.  If I do, I may just have to swing by and see Matt so I can ignore him and act like I don’t have a lot of time for him!  …Just for a little while!