Friday, June 19, 2009

Bragging Rights

Family week continues! Only with a little twist. A new face is in town. Just in time for this Sunday's holiday . . . meet my dad!

My father rolled into town early Thursday morning, so he and my mom and I have been hanging out pretty much 24/7 since then. (We were joined by the Best Husband Ever after he got home from work, of course.) Although I often dread the descent of family, this visit has been quite wonderful. I've been far less tetchy with my folks than in the past, and we've spent some truly enjoyable time together.

And we've done so much! My parents are used to me living in places like Boston (where I earned my graduate degree in elementary education), which boast all sorts of historical sites and touristy activities. My current hometown (and, presumably, permanent home for the foreseeable future) has hiking. It's fairly intense hiking that would be a real struggle for my parents. And this city's idea of a historical site is a sign on the side of the road indicating that Lewis and Clark camped or fished or shook hands with the natives there. Not too impressive when compared to Paul Revere's home and the site of the Salem witch trials. Still, we've kept quite busy.

We have enjoyed espresso and other treats at one of the few, if only, truly Italian spots in town, where my east coast parents felt right at home . . .

We visited one of their favorite spots in town, Bernice's Bakery, for some lunch (my dad had their ham and cheese "faux coccia" sandwich while Mom and I both had a hummus and feta sandwich) . . .

. . . and cake ogling . . .

. . . picked up a short-term fishing license for my dad, who was eager to test out his new waders (he reports that the waders are, in fact, fantastic) . . .

. . . and the hubby and I hosted them for dinner (I made my favorite black bean salad with avocado and balsamic vinegar) . . .

My dad and I even managed to climb a mountain with Cody, where we met up with an unexpected flock of sheep and their shepherd who have apparently taken up residence of the mountainside . . .

. . . before meeting up with the hubby for dinner at another of my folks' favorite restaurants -- a make-your-own-stir-fry place -- while my mom treated herself to a sewing class . . .

Whew! I feel tired just writing about all that. And my dad has not even been here two full days! I expect that our pace will slow down a little as we enter the weekend, though, so I can regroup for my first day of summer work. We still plan to hit up the farmer's market for a treat and grazing tomorrow, which my father has never been to. And my mom is excited about a quilt walk that the city is hosting this weekend as well, so I think they won't miss me too much.

I have to say that I am really proud of my parents. When I was living on my own in Boston and responsible for my own nutrition and health for the first time, I quickly put on a lot of weight due to poor food choices and a sedentary lifestyle. I joined a gym, but found it hard to motivate myself to go. Not because I was afraid of the work and the sweat. No, I instead worried about what people thought of me. I believed that they were all criticizing me internally -- the fat girl, waddling on the treadmill, laboring over the stationary bike. Obviously, I was very insecure and wrapped up in a private world that was mostly the making of my own low self-esteem. Now, when I see heavier people at the gym, I don't criticize them -- I applaud them! It takes guts to sweat it out at a walk on the treadmill when there's a svelte runner sprinting along next to you. These people are brave, and they are warriors, and we are all fighting the same uphill battle for improved help together.

This week, I saw my parents join the ranks of those same warriors. We've been doing a whole bunch of walking, and my mom even joined me in their hotel's exercise room, walking for 30 minutes on the treadmill while I did some elliptical. And this morning, as I've already noted, my dad joined me on a uphill jaunt that was incredibly challenging for him. But he reached his goal, and did so with grace! Bravo, Mom and Pop! Thanks for having the courage to take charge and make changes, even when it's hard or scary or just plain annoying. You rock! I am so proud of you, along with everyone else who does the same, whether an Olympic-ready athlete or a new mother sneaking in 10 minutes sweat sessions here and there or someone who is trying out exercise for the first time. Keep on fighting, friends.

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"I am glad you are here with me."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King