Sunday, June 20, 2010

Another Day, Another Struggle


It was my fourth round jogging, with steadier but slower paces.

But breathing had become heavier and heartbeat faster.

It had been our daily routine in the late afternoon for many weeks.

Standing well over 6’ and weighing over 120 kg, the immense weight of my body had taken its toll on my feet. Both of my feet had become swollen. And I was a little panicked.

Frequent massages did help to soften and soothe the feet.

But I was getting impatient when I realized that my leather shoes were getting tight again.

Soon I might be in need of a pair of bigger size shoes.

Big size shoes are very difficult to buy in small town.

Specially tailored shoes can only be found in the city.

Besides, the frequent requests for bigger size shoes from salesgirls often draw unnecessary attention, secret smiles and laughter, causing even more shame and embarrassment.

I finally made up my mind to do consistent jogging exercises.

Jogging and walking around the big man-made lake of our small town had been our initial plan.

Then my wife and I decided to walk round the town.

Then we walked up and down certain rough and uneven terrain in the town.

But the distance, the dense traffic, the curious onlookers and the scorching heat of the afternoon sun sometimes did put us off.

Lately we had found a nice spot for our jogging exercise.

It was a quiet road under the double lane tarred bridge moving up to the man-made lake.

Both ends have a slope, a gentle slope and a steep slope; and there are many shady spots.

Vehicles are few and the surrounding is cool with beautiful landscape and a quiet river beside.

Moving into my fifth round, panting like a thirsty dog, I persevered and smiled to my wife who jogged in the opposite direction.

My back began to ache, and my sweat dripped thick and fast, and my slow paces finally came to a halt. No, I must not give up too easily.

I started to walk with big strides, regulated my breathing, cleared all my sweat, and regained my confidence. Another 5 rounds, I told myself, this time walk with big stride.

It was an hour later that we called it quit.

We finally finished our intended quest.

Another day, another struggle.

1 comment:

Up Close said...

Hello good day. Just would like to encourage you today to keep up the good work. Him is merciful and full of rewards.
Peace and rest be with you and your whole family today and always.

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