Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Friends

Jack and I drove to O'Hare late this afternoon to pick up some friends from Springville who will be staying with us this next week. Barb and I have been neighbors and friends since before we had kids. Her son Cooper and Jack are good friends as well.

In the late 1990s, Barb and I used to go to the gym together three mornings a week for an aerobics class. I had a limited membership and could only go on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Turns out that kept me motivated because I could never say "I'll go tomorrow." I literally couldn't go "tomorrow"; skipping one class meant taking a three-day break. Plus, I enjoyed the class. It was better than the average aerobics class because it was choreographed and the instructors would rotate a new song and routine in at least once a week. There was always something we could already do well and something new to master.

At the end of my two-year gym contract, our favorite instructor moved away. I decided to let my membership lapse.

Barb and I both went through a lot of changes those two years. She and her husband had just adopted their oldest son. Roger and I opened our bookstore, then we adopted Jack. Then she and her husband adopted a daughter.

The gym was a 15-minute drive from our neighborhood, 30 minutes round-trip. We had lots of good conversations during those years. And we were in great shape. I miss that time.

All we have planned this week is good exercise and good conversation. Just like the old days.

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