A long Walk

Hello, dear readers!

Did you ever have one of those days?

You know the ones. They seem to start okay but, bit by bit, that sheen starts to wear off as small niggles raise their heads. It’s the kind of thing that, if you’re nor careful, can snowball, as mood and inconveniences start to reinforce each other. The kind of thing that can ruin a day.

So let’s nip it in the bud, shall we? Positive thoughts. Positive actions. Om, and all that kind of stuff.

As for the pebble that’s threatening to launch this potential avalanche, well that’s the small (and I do mean small) matter of the charger for my fit watch going missing.
Have A Gander
I know. It’s pathetic isn’t it? Such a tiny, inconsequential, issue in a world overflowing with matters far more serious, and I’m giving it the power to derail my day. Silly goose.

The partial reason for my irritation is a matter of timing. You see I’ve had the fit watch for a month or so now and, in my attempts to knock this old body into a shape that isn’t quite as spherical, it has proven invaluable, especially on Wednesdays.

Watch It!
The clever little thing, which I bought on the cheap thanks to an Amazon Prime day (60% off, no less) measures the wearers activity, heart rate, blood oxygen (???), and of course - steps. Now, at first glance this might not seem ideal for a man whose actual step count can conceivably be halved if you don’t count getting out of bed, but think about it for a second. What is the watch, a device worn on the wrist, actually counting.

Logic would suggest it’s not the movements of ones feet, which although connected to the rest of the body (last time I looked) can be moved independently to the part of the body the watch adorns, without causing much of a motion for the watch to count.

My guess, and the reason I took the plunge on the purchase, was that what the watch was counting was the swing of the arm that tends to accompany each step we take. And, fortunately, this somewhat sketchy reasoning turns out to be correct. At least in part.

Dog Day Mornings
Each morning, as long as the weather remains mostly clement and, more importantly, dry (trousers that are soaking from crotch to knee are not a good look, whoever you are), and it's not Wednesday, (The answer to your question is that's the day countless bins get strewn haphazardly across the pavement by both residents and refuse collectors alike).I take our dog, Bonnie for a walk.

This tends to be a decent bit of exercise for the both of us. Most days we’re out for around 40 minutes or so and in that time we cover over a mile and a half. What that equated to in ‘steps’ or calories burned, or any other metric of health, I wasn’t sure. Wearing the fit watch on this walk, without changing anything about how I propel myself, told me this morning routine was equivalent to 3800 (and change) steps.

Now, this isn’t the same as it would be for you ambulatory folk (at least, not as far as the internet would have me believe) but then, for myself there’s the fact that going downhill takes considerably less ‘steps’ than uphill. Doubly so if Bonnie spots a cat halfway down (‘mush!’ isn’t in it. We’re going for the cat, and we’re getting there fast). I think this is partially made up by the extra effort each ‘step’ (alright, can we stop using that word now. I’m getting tired of the inverted commas) take going uphill, but the watch doesn’t count that.

Swing Set
Still, as imperfect as it is, my new(ish) toy lets me know if I’m keeping active and tracks my expenditure in a way that would have been difficult beforehand. It aims for 10’000 ‘steps’ (damn it!) a day, something which, without taking Bonnie for three-and-a-half walks a day would be... difficult. Luckily, as my logic dictated, if I sit stock-still in my chair and swing my arms as if I were running or walking that still counts. So do punches. Do I look stupid doing all this? Absolutely. Does it annoy my fantastically fabby wife, Tina? You bet. Do I care? Not so much.

I have to remember, you see, that the reason for the purchase, the reason I’m trying to do that little more in the way of exercise, is to get healthier. My lifestyle is sedentary to a ridiculous degree and, ever since I stopped working, has become even more so. That, and my advancing years, means the weight I gained during the lockdown years is proving stubborn. Something needs to be done. I need to push the limited exercise I get and I need to just plain move more regularly, too (an alarm goes off on the watch if you’re inactive for too long, which is annoyingly helpful).

Out For The Count

All of which brings us full circle to the minor annoyance of not being able to find the charger for the bloody thing. It’s quite possibly ironic (a difficult concept - ask Alanis Morrissette), but at a time I have energy, I find my watch is running out. It means my - look, can we just say ‘pushes’ or ‘moves’ or something. I’m genuinely willing to hear suggestions, as long as they’re not too sarcastic (Mr. Taylor) - count will be out for the day, as will my hours active, and my minutes of moderate to high intensity. Something which irks me.

And breathe. In with the good, out with the bad. Think happy thoughts. Let the jukebox of the mind play you some calm and uplifting music to lift your day and ease your cares away.

5-6-7-8!

Until next time.

***

Hey, folks! If you would care to take a look at some of my more creative writing, then the links below will transport you to the magical worlds of a few anthologies my short (and in two cases, very short) stories have been included in. Feel free to check ’em out!

New Tales Of Old: Volume 2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TMVTX9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Death Ship

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs

https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w

Reaperman

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A

Pestilence

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pestilence-Revelations-Black-Ink-Fiction/dp/B09MDLZGHY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654090896&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1

The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Musketeers-Cthulhu-Court-King-Louis-ebook/dp/B09YQKQQB7/ref=sr_1_18?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654091002&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-18