So, one of the bugaboos of modern life is that, with all these energy-saving machines (like, ahem, CARS), we don't move half so much as our ancestors did. I mean, can any of you who've read Farmer Boy (one of the Little House books) imagine Almanzo's astonishment at the idea that one might have to make exercise a separate activity from the normal chores of the day? (More than any other, that book taught me that my forebearers WORKED for a living.)
I don't have forty acres to plow though. But I have a library and a grocery store within walking distance, so I try to walk there instead of driving. And I have kids to be carried, so I try to carry them often. And I have weeds to pull, so I try to pull them regularly. I have a neighborhood that's safe to walk in, so I try to take regular evening walks with my husband (kids on back or in the wagon).
And sometimes I do an exercise DVD. But there's something more harmonious about exercise in the midst of other things. Things like gardening, and child care, and evening walks. I like it when life feels all-of-a-piece. I like having a body, and I like using it. There's a temptation in modern life, I think, to feel all mind and no matter. But so many good things - like cooking and eating and hugging and jumping and gardening - can only be experienced through our physical selves.
What about you? God made us creatures in bodies. Aside from the private joys of marital love (family-friendly blog, remember!), in what daily ways do you find yourself enjoying being corporeal? Does anyone else notice this, or am I just weird?
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica
2 comments:
I totally agree. Just think of the perspective of Beauty. Beauty has usually been linked with the life of luxury. In the past, one was considered beautiful if fair-skinned and fat -- those who didn't have to work hard, causing them to be thin, in the hot sun, causing them to be tan. Now it is the tan and thin who are beautiful -- those who have the time to relax in the sun and exercise regularly.
Not that it relates completely, but I think it is another example of what you are speaking of.
I really enjoy the harmony of exercising while in nature. That is why walking, gardening, and playing in the park appeal to me. There is something stale or less beautiful about working out in a gym with mirrors all around so that you can gaze at is yourself. We just got the double jogger fixed at a bike shop (thanks so much) so Brian and I have talked about hiking again in the evenings.
-Ashley
www.thenickfamily.com
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