See this picture of me?  1966, in Indiana visiting my relatives (that's my cousin Brenda in the background)...doing what I did best back then.  Playing the violin, which required some arm movement, a little finger action and occasionally a little swaying to the beat.  You really didn't have to break a sweat to play the violin (unless the day was really humid, which sometimes happened in Indiana in August, hence the fan in the window).

And see this picture of me?  This is me, circa 1959, with my Aunt Mary Emily, doing what I have always been the best at....reading!  It also requires some physical movement...you have to lift the book from the shelf (okay, this particular book probably didn't cause me to break a sweat!), lift your arm to turn the pages, and of course you have to move your eyeballs....are you catching a theme here?  Yup, I'm the girl my mother would shoo outside with the admonition "at least take your book outside to read!"  I'm the girl with the 1001 lame reasons to please be excused from gym class.  I did manage a rather nifty floor exercise in junior high set to Simon and Garfunkel's To Emily, Wherever I May Find Her (I think I chose the music because I thought the title was deep), but let me tell you, after that it was all down hill.  Exercise and I....we're not really on speaking terms. 

Fast forward to today.  Tonight, to be accurate.  In some insane moment I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for a 12 week running class.  What was I thinking?!  I guess I was thinking it's time, way past time, to exercise more than my music and reading muscles...it's time to say hello to stronger muscles, a better attitude, and a healthier body.  I'll keep you posted because let me tell you....this is so far out of my comfort zone I'm in the next zip code area!  Maybe I was inspired by Walt Whitman's The Runner....

The Runner

On a flat road runs the well-train'd runner,

He is lean and sinewy with muscular legs,

He is thinly clothed, he leans forward as he runs,

With lightly closed fists and arms partially rais'd.

Or maybe I just really, really like my new running shoes....

Keep tuned for the adventures of the poetry-loving runner!