Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Blindsided

I won't forget these vertical blinds. I've stared at them for hours over the control console of a treadmill in my corporate gym over the course of ten months. When I first started running on the treadmill, I would focus on patterns in the blinds, trying to keep my mind off the distance, the pace. I would see faces, as easily as people see Jesus in burnt toast...only for me: giraffes and trolls. Just to the right of these dirty, cracked blinds are floor to ceiling mirrors. Didn't spend too much time looking at myself. But over time, a reluctant sideways glance would reveal that minor miracles were happening to my body, all the result of dedication and movement. All those miles over all this time, and I really wasn't thinking about how fast or how far I went. I was focused on these blinds.

2 comments:

Tierney said...

I hate those blinds. I guess I don't find them as interesting as you do. I tried to open them so I could at least look out the window and spy on people in the parking lot...but they're kind of broken and don't really open well. I think the company should spring for some new ones. Maybe I would feel differently if I saw animal shapes and faces in them the way you do.

John Guzlowski said...

Hi, I've been nordic tracking for 20 years. When I first started I tried just listening to music and then reading, and finally I discovered TV. I exercise at home, and have a TV hooked up to a DVD player right in front of my eyes.

The exercise is almost painless. I watch movies, documentaries, all kinds of stuff.