A Good Walk Toiled

Will I ever learn that going on a walk with my kids is a bad idea? No.

I went for a walk around the neighborhood with the kids yesterday because it was such a beautiful day. As is always the case, it began with high hopes. All three started out riding scooters or bikes. What a lovely outing! Soon enough, though, things regressed to the mean. We made it to the farthest point in our loop, about half a mile from the house, and the youngest two ran out of steam.

To be fair, the 3-year-old was still fighting some sort of stomach bug that had been lingering for several days (one that would ultimately strike down the 6-year-old just a few hours later) and the youngest is not two years old yet, so perhaps the walk was a bit ambitious. But, whatever, it felt like we needed to get out of the house.

Anyway, I had to carry the two youngest overlapping relay style back home — carrying one child and vehicle ahead about 10 yards past the other, then doubling back to pick up the other one, and repeating the sequence the half mile home.

Quite a workout. Quite a sight for all the neighbors we passed along the way, too.

“Are you practicing for some kind of CrossFit competition?” I imagined them asking.

“Exactly,” I would have replied. “This is my secret for maintaining this body of steel that you see before you.”

My fitness tracker said I traversed six miles in that half mile stretch of real estate!

Just kidding. I don’t have a fitness tracker anymore. But the six miles part is one hundred percent accurate.

One day, I will learn. No more walks with the kids without bringing a tow truck along with me.