The E Word

The E word....EXERCISE. Be careful who you say it around. It's a foul word to most and to little its their every other word. We have here in Lakeland Hills a hill. We like to call it the, "Hill of Hell." Now this isn't just a hill. This is a mile long 10% grade incline that has some curves that sits alongside the main road to our town. Lots of people walk that hill. Some run. Some ride there bikes. And, yes, some do deep lunges all the way up it. I crawl on all four, foaming at the mouth, begging for water or someone crazy enough to pick up the wounded, all the way up that hill. It's a most disturbing site. I've decided that doing this will ultimately help me in the long run. I'm not sure how, but they tell me it will. So being me, I believe them. Stupidity is what it probably is. But none the less, I do it. And the best part is, I drag someone along for the show each time. Isn't that nice of me? I thought so. I can only imagine what the passersby in there air conditioned soft luxury vehicles must say as they pass me by. I know, I've said it to others. When, okay, if, you make it to the top, you feel....like you need to puke. Not all the time, but the majority. Other times you feel like Rocky Balboa, throwing your fists up in the air as though you have conquered the best thing ever. Then you realize you have to finish walking the rest of the way home. That's when my legs decide to fall asleep. Really. They do. I have to coax them into going home, let them know there is a shower and bed waiting for them. That there is a strong man at home; who was smart enough to stay behind; willing to rub out there every ache. They acknowledge my request with a thundering shake, that seems to last until I walk through the door to my home, that for some reason feels like a sauna. Clothes at that point seem like sin. And water seems like gold.
Talking on the hill is prohibited. Unless your me. It makes the climb much more unbearable. And yet we still do it! What is wrong with the human race! Well I am Italian, we love to talk, we love to eat. Which means we must love that hill! Curse my ancestry!
Anyway, I'm walking this hill in hopes that someday the "E" word doesn't seem so foul to me in the future. If ever you want a good show, just drive on by, you'll get one. But know this, those of us who walk it don't have a clear mind, so if you choose to say something to us, make it sweet. Or else!