From Sluggish to Restored in Two Steps

I felt like a complete and utter slug this morning but I like to get my exercise in before Saturday's second act.

Luckily, once I ate oatmeal with a banana in the mix, I felt somewhat like myself again. I usually go rock climbing on Saturday but my belay partner is out of town. Plus, I have considerable soreness in my glutes and thighs. So, of course, it made perfect sense to get on my bike and head to Grant's Trail where I usually come to a screeching halt when I see a cardinal. The braking, of course, is probably why I missed about six pictures but this beauty stood still for me.


I also saw two cats, a bunny and numerous Clydesdales. The Clydesdales make me frequently pause as well.




This clock reminded me of Frida Kahlo. Does anyone remember the name of her painting with a clock? It's a commentary, I think, on her marriage to Diego Rivera and the title is The Hands Were Broken or something like that? I tried to Google it but my phrasing must be off.

What do you brake for?

I pause when swimming because there's this father who's been teaching his son how to swim.

It makes me think of that scene in The Pursuit of Happyness when the son reaches up to touch the dad's face and says you're a good papa (1:58).



The pool father asked his son, who is about four, to do some drill and the son said it was hard and the father said:

Just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

In addition to knowing that the pool father is a good one, he makes me think of my father and how I think about sitting next to him in conversation.

So, yeah, I started off completely sluggish and, don't misunderstand me, I enjoy slowing down and lingering over a cup of coffee while reading but I was once again surprised how you can feel lethargic then be invigorated by exercise and nature.

How's your weekend shaping up?