Walking Out Before the Rain Can Catch Me

Some days hold promise. Other days convey a sense of ‘meh’. As I work my way through morning rituals in the cozinha, making coffee, emptying the dishwasher, I can see the courtyard roofs are wet. There is standing water in anything that collects it. A pregnant grey sky hangs above with the promise of more, albeit of unpredictable intensity, precipitation. After yesterday and my visit to the doctor, I had promised myself I would take a long walk today. Maybe I will take a medium walk in my recently purchased REI rain jacket. As my wife often says, I won't melt.

I am not usually one to use sport’s metaphors but when you are in the fourth quarter (American football), or the third period (hockey), or the second half (futbol) of life you really hope for more days with that aura of promise. I desire more moments when my brain is engaged enough to sit at the keyboard after a morning of experience, preferably fresh experience. I want all those bits and bobs inside me fired up so that the words I am pounding out say something other than the world is a mess.

(1.5 hours later.)

Finished a 2.5-mile walk in just under an hour. Only when I reached the University of Lisboa campus did the rain really begin and even then it was just a light but steady drizzle. In the center of campus there was a job fair going on in a long tent. Outside were the hallmarks of university life. There was a truck selling fast food like bifanas and Sagres beer. Another truck offered what the Portuguese call American Hot Dogs. Yeah, these are hot dogs pulled from a jar warmed up, placed on a bun and covered with cheese, shredded carrots, corn and crumbled potato chips. American style hot dogs indeed. Oh yeah, Red Bull was there. Of course Red Bull was there.

Whenever I see a Portuguese food truck advertising ‘American Dogs’ I lapse into a dream about a hot dog cart. In this fantasy I am setting the cart up next to the roasted chestnut vendor at the Saldanha Circle Metro entrance. I mean the cart would have the whole nine yards. There would be relish, onions, ketchup, mustard, steamed buns and all meat franks ready to eat. There would be a bar above the bins with the dogs and buns with clips holding bags of batatas fritas or Doritos. I would have a cooler with Coke, Sprite and cold water. Ah to be back on the streets of New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington DE or even Lansing, Michigan.

Ran into one person I knew so I stopped and talked a bit. It is good to have a social circle of outgoing friends. The relationships I have built since arriving here are something I cherish. Moving thousands of miles away from wherever your life started takes a certain spirit. For the most part that spirit is an outgoing and open to experience spirit. I like people who live that way.

Well I got my walk in. Hopefully I can keep it up. Got to keep the doctor happy. Hell, I know this kind of exercise, like my daily walks, is crucial in maintaining both my physical and mental health. So I am not really doing it for the doctor, I am doing it for me.