Category: Health

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Animals Driving Health Holidays Shopping Travel

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon: Special On-Location Edition – Fort Myers, Estero, & Naples

I have returned home safely from my short 31-hour / 370-mile road-trip vacation over to Florida’s Gulf coast and back. Here are some thoughts:

1.  In addition to the 370 miles that I drove I think I walked at least 5 miles at various tourist attractions, events, and other places. It’s a good thing that my legs are my most powerful limbs. I got a great workout this weekend. It is now time to relax at home.

2.  I really enjoyed the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. I spent a good two hours there on Sunday afternoon walking around all throughout the compound. The coolest part of it all was the back portion of the actual homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and the walking trail that runs right along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. This is a place that I could return back to next year and enjoy all over again.

3.  I spent the night at a one-year-old Hampton Inn in Estero right across the Interstate from the Germain Arena. Of all of the Hampton Inns that I’ve stayed at over the past decade or so this was definitely the best of them all. It’s a no-brainer. I’ll be staying there again on my next visit to the area.

4.  This morning I walked all around the Miromar Outlets next to the Germain Arena. This is how an outdoor factory outlet mall is supposed to look like. If I lived near Estero then this would be where I (and my VISA card) would hang out on a regular basis.

5.  I walked a good mile-and-a-half at the Naples Zoo this afternoon. I’ve been there once before, and I’ll be back again on my next visit. I love that place !  It’s laid out beautifully. I love to walk, and I love hanging out with animals. The Naples Zoo offers me both opportunities. If I lived near Naples then I’d become a member of the zoo and visit over and over again.

I think it’s official now. The Orlando area is not where I wish to live when I retire in about 15 to 20 years. I think you’ll find me living peacefully and happily ever after over in the Fort Myers / Estero / Naples area sometime in the future.

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Animals Food God Health Holidays Life Travel

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon

Sky: Sunny & Clear
Temperature: 64°F
Relative Humidity: 100%
Winds: NNE 2 MPH
Barometric Pressure: 30.14 Rising

My thoughts:

1.  I added a tenth of a mile to my walk around my neighbourhood this morning during the seven-o-clock hour. I walked about 1.4 miles total in about 27 minutes.

2.  Ducks and chickens were in abundance during my walk. They were out and about eating breakfast. I steered away from them. I was once attacked by an angry duck. The unfortunate incident of a few years ago continues to haunt me to this day.

3.  Not a single car passed me during my walk. In fact I only saw three people outside. I think everyone was inside eating bacon. I can effectively hypothesize that because the unmistakable aroma of fresh cooked bacon permeated all throughout the morning air of my neighbourhood.

4.  A friend from afar recently asked me why I started this weekly walk. Besides the obvious health and fitness reasons this walk – inspired and encouraged by this fellow WordPress blogger – is symbolic of my walk with Jesus Christ. I’ve been walking with Him on His fantastic journey for about 18 months now. I was once a mannequin – plastic and rotting. Now I am alive. Since I am alive I am living Life (always capitalized) the way that I should have lived it during my previous 39 years on His great Earth. That includes throwing everything up in the air like ‘Tossed Salad’ (catch the symbolism there) and only catching the good stuff – the right stuff. A physical walk is now on my agenda to complement my spiritual walk with my Creator. No longer am I sitting still in neutral. I am now moving forward and going places with my Life. The Lord Almighty is driving me. I am merely His passenger.

5.  I’m taking this walk on-the-road starting tomorrow. I’ll be walking all throughout the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers tomorrow afternoon. The walk continues on Monday (Presidents’ Day) at Estero’s Germain Arena for the Cross Reference Faith & Family Expo. Maybe I’ll even make a pit-stop at the Naples Zoo on my return trip back to Homestead.

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Animals God Health Life

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon

Sky: Mostly Cloudy
Temperature: 67°F
Relative Humidity: 94%
Winds: Calm
Barometric Pressure: 30.22 Rising

My thoughts:

1.  It was back to basics this morning (after last Saturday morning’s walk around Monkey Jungle) – my 25-minute / 1.3-mile walk clockwise around the perimeter of my neighbourhood.

2.  As I walked the beat I thought about the symbolic walk that I have taken to get to this glorious point in my Life. A new believer that I met last night at my Life Group fellowship asked me why did I turn to God when I did. I told her quite bluntly that I was tired of sitting at home and being a mannequin. I wanted something more as I entered my 40s. I’ll be sharing more with her if she continues on with our Life Group through the next 3 months. For the first time in my Life I am truly happy. It is no longer fake happiness. It is genuine. I now realize that although I may be alone at times I will never ever be lonely again. He is always with me.

3.  After everyone else went home I lingered around at J.T. and Anne’s home last night for another two hours. I had a great time sharing just a small portion of my unhappy past life with the two of them. The me of yesteryear would have never even considered the thought of sharing my Life with anyone else. God is truly amazing. He has given me a new Life. One of my favourite verses in the Bible is 1 Peter 1:23 (NLT): ‘For you have been born again, but not to a Life that will quickly end. Your new Life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.’

4.  Back to the physical walk of this morning and two dogs on a leash did not appreciate my presence as I walked by them. That’s fine. I didn’t care too much for them either. The ducks and the chickens were out and about in abundance this morning. They stayed away from me. I stayed away from them. One time I was chased by an angry duck. I’m sort of scared of them now. I used to have nightmares about them. ‘When Good Ducks Go Bad’ – next on FOX !

5.  I may have little to no upper-body strength but I am truly proud of my strong legs. If I were a professional athlete (in another life) then I could possibly be a field goal kicker on a football team – or maybe a soccer player. How about a kickboxer ?  Nah I’m going too far now. I’ll just leave it at that.

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Animals Food Health Shopping

The Fortune Cookie Message Of The Week Club

Chicken & Broccoli With Pork Fried Rice & Won Ton Soup – It’s What Was For Lunch !

‘Now is the time to try something new.’

I tried something new last Friday. I took the day off from work, dug deep into my ‘Things-To-Do’ list, spent most of the day in Cutler Bay, helped out the local economy there, and proceeded to acquire a bad cold while doing so. Had I gone to work instead last Friday I would not have gotten a cold, but then again I wouldn’t have been introduced to my new good buddy Mr. Zicam. It’s the wonder drug !

I’ll try something new this upcoming Saturday morning (weather-permitting). Monkey Jungle here I come !