Overview of 2008

After eating and sleeping, there are three constants in our lives--daily Bible reading and prayer, travel and physical exercise. Today I looked back over 2008 to see what we had done in the last two areas. In our travels from March 23 through November 4, we drove the truck 10,700 miles. The last time I read a statistic, the average driver puts 15,000 miles a year on a vehicle. Before retirement, we probably put on about that many miles in a year and most of mine were driving to and from work. It is much more fun to drive those miles exploring New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada, as well as a little bit of Colorado.

For most of my adult life I have walked for exercise, but I really wasn't fit and after quitting smoking I put on 25-30 pounds. In 2002 medical research showed that older women should not take hormone replacement therapy. My mother had osteoporosis and I was a devout believer in HRT to keep my bones strong. But studies showed the medication increased the chances of heart problems. So I quite taking the hormones and started doing weight training to keep my bones strong. That new focus on fitness helped me loose 35 pounds. John resumed his weight training and he lost 40 pounds. Then two years ago we began jogging three times a week, usually running 3 miles.

Today I checked and I ran 436 miles in 2008. I'm really impressed with myself. Last week and today we did 4-mile runs. Unless you are a runner, you can't understand how good that feels.We have been back at an alititue of about 6000 feet above sea level for over two months and it is getting easier and easier to run. My cardio-vascular conditioning has really improved. Our physical exercise has helped us feel better, helped us enjoy each day more, and prepared us for many of the workamper positions we have held. We hope it helps us to live longer. It certainly helps us live each day better.