Saturday, May 14, 2022

Walking for fun and health



One of four mosaic murals on Ocean Springs-
Biloxi Bridge

Looking through some of my old iPhone photos has brought back memories and questions. 

My favorite place to walk used to be the ultra-safe walking lane on the bridge spanning Biloxi Bay between Biloxi and Ocean Springs, where we live. The bridge was built after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the old bridge.

For me it was an added pleasure walking on that bridge because of the role that a former student of mine had in the design of the new bridge.

In 1970, Connie Moran was a student in one of my ninth-grade English classes that I taught in Ocean Springs. 

By the time Hurricane Katrina arrived 35 years later, Connie was mayor. It was a turbulent time of loss, grief, making do, and charting recovery for coast cities and residents. 

I was proud of her for taking a stand that the new bridge should offer more than transport across the bay between Ocean Springs and Biloxi. 

She fought for features to be incorporated that would highlight the beauty of our town's history and natural environment and complement its reputation for giving residents and visitors opportunities for enjoying the outdoors through work, play, art and healthy exercise.

I continue to appreciate the decisions made by Connie and others who have contributed to people-friendly areas throughout our town.  

My second favorite place to walk was the paved walk that started near the bridge and stretched along the beach from the bridge for about a mile to the Ocean Springs Harbor. If I got tired I could sit down on the concrete barrier separating the walk from the sand beach.

That gave me a perfect position to enjoy the breeze, the view, and the opportunity to observe Hubby's explorations as well as the activities of boaters and other beach goers. I especially enjoyed the joy of kids playing in the sun, sand and water.

That drive back home was another chance to soak up the satisfying vistas of shrimp boats, sailboats, other vessels large and small, salt marsh, birds, bay and sky.

More local bridge art

When a later hurricane messed up the beachside paved walk, ongoing repairs had Hubby and me trying out alternative places for walking.  

With age, weather, increased activities with family, friends and church, my walking routes have changed dramatically, and we are still walking the "alternatives."

One of those alternatives is our house, built to accommodate my stroke challenges. We have a lovely ramp with railings from our driveway to our entry door. 

The concrete is exposed aggregate which I really like. The entry door is painted a "Remington Red" that I picked out and still love. That red door doesn't directly affect my walking ability, but it does boost my spirits.

Inside, our two bedrooms are separated by French doors that are open unless we have overnight company. When it's too hot, too cold, too rainy or too windy, I can still make the circuit around the inside of our home to keep moving. 

About three to four times around make a tenth of a mile. So with walking to do inside chores, it is not that hard to make a mile.

But the reality is that I need more than a mile to keep up my strength and my "want to." It's a great day for me if I can see that iPhone mileage registering well above a mile! 

Another factor in a great day is reading about blogging friends who are walking way beyond my distance. Their experiences offer a huge boost to my determination! 

Bless you fellow bloggers! Thank you for setting a great example, in both the physical exercise category and also with choosing to find joy in life, often in the midst of personal challenges.

-30-

 



7 comments:

  1. The mosaic murals are gorgeous!! I'm glad to hear you are doing so well!

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  2. You are an inspiration.

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  3. you have always inspired me from the very beginning. I think what you have done is quite amazing.. I do the same thing with walking inside the house or even the pool deck in back yard. My walking for 3 years 6 months was with Big Boy and now Beau. that gives me the incentive to walk. out of that span of years, i missed only 7 days and that was the week Beau could not walk because of his hips and knees. Beau is a testament like you are that walking really matters. the vet said he will never walk again for excericse, if he goes out he should be on a leash and only walk for doing his job. after 7 days of no walking, I walked him 5 houses each day for a week, 2nd week we walked 10 houses and by week 3 he was walking his normal walk and has since August of last year. walking saves us is my belief. I love the art on the bridges. she did a good job and i am sorry to hear it was damaged again and again

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  4. You make me ferl.ashamed I dont do better, plus make me more thankful that I can get around with relative ease.

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  5. Well said and I too choose Joy. I'm glad you have found alternatives for your walking challenges.
    What a wonderful thing to have one of your students become an influential mayor. I do love the bridge art, very inviting.
    I have had some problems with my sciatica this past week. I can appreciate, on a very tiny scale, your mobility issues. What a pain...both ways...
    I'm so glad to be walking more upright and not tipped sideways as I was a few days ago..
    About ready to head off to church so I will say good bye...stay in touch when you can.
    Sue

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  6. I applaud you for walking the best way that you can. You are an inspiration to all.
    I feel so blessed to be able to get out and walk every morning. I will be thinking of you tomorrow when I walk. 😃

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  7. Those are very tasteful and well done mosaics. Beautiful, in fact!

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