Walking “The Walk”

To start this in the proper frame of mind:
Walking isn’t exercise. Walking is just a way to make up for being sedentary.

Today it was nice enough out to walk “The Walk.”

This is a walk through the highlights of Massapqequa — passing various houses and places that had meaning back in high school. Usually I walked The Walk alone, although I have walked it a few times with Jarrod — which is probably how it became The Walk.

Sitting in front of a computer all day is not what the human animal is meant to do. Although it’s very easy to sit and snack and while away the day, that’s not good for you.

So I try to take a long walk or two every day to make up a bit for my time spent at the computer. This has nothing to do with fitness training or exercise — it just helps balance out for all the sitting.

Walking is good for your body in a lot of ways – the rhythm helps set a lot of things right in your mind and in your guts.

Daily walking helps simulate the effort that used to be required to get daily food — back before food meant opening a cardboard box and popping something in the microwave.

Map My Run is a handy site that lets you map where you’re walking and the distance travelled.

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I would guess that The Walk is about 4 miles and it takes me just a little over an hour to walk it. It’s a nice thing to do now that the weather is finally getting a little warmer.

Some personal highlights:

• The Beverage Distributor. What’s so special about this place? I have no idea. They’ve been there since I was a little kid. I find it difficult to believe that they are cheaper than BJs or Costco. I do remember it was one of the places my aunt used to go.
• The Massapequa Library. This place has changed a lot. My first real experience there was for a 6th grade research project that involved 100 questions that required the use of encyclopedias, microfilm, and bizarre research tools like some sort of massive periodical index, etc. All sorts of paper based stuff taking up lots of room in the library. 30+ years later… oh, just type Google. Guess that kind of thing makes libraries reevaluate what they need to have and then remodel — the building is totally different from when I was a kid.
  “Maybe he’s practicing. There goes a limo.” Had to be there. I was. Can’t believe I’m still there.
• Walking through — is it called Bar Harbor here? Don’t remember. The biggest thing I notice when walking through Massapequa is that there’s no kids outside. This isn’t limited to today. It’s any day, any time of year. There’s plenty of cars driving around (apparently the residential speed limit is 50mph on Easter) — but no kids outside. Come to think of it, when I used to bicycle to Cedar Creek Park I didn’t see any kids there either.
• Passing Lenny’s house. Another of the many people to leave Long Island ASAP.
• Passing Deron’s house. Weird. I used to be welcome to walk through that front door. Probably not so much anymore, seeing as his parents moved back in 1984. Had watergun fights in that yard. Now that yard is totally alien to me. It has outlasted me and forgotten me.
• Passing a few other houses of notable people from high school. Some truly gigantic houses in this part of Massapequa.
• Then heading back. Nobody else out walking — everyone else drives everywhere. That might be some component of why so many people are fat…