The two signs on the light post advertise the recently completed annual Bend Pole, Pedal, Paddle. Teams compete by age bracket in a race where members have to downhill ski on Mt Bachelor, cross country ski on a designated course, bike ride 25 miles downhill to Bend, paddle a kayak in the Deschutes River and then run to a finish line. I got tired just writing that sentence.
Bend, Oregon, is teeming with people who thrive on physical fitness. I see joggers, bicyclists and fitness centers everywhere. Let's not forget the plethora of classes on pilates, yoga and other forms of health-related consciousness expansion. All these positive vibrations are "infectious." I am now swimming a mile almost every day, lifting weights and on the treadmill. It is not amazing that I have lost 12-15 lbs in the past six months.
I know that I am trying to live longer and impress my friends with my ability to outsmart aging. Of course I feel better too. Bend, Oregon, provides such a healthy atmosphere. Yet I am often reminded that being healthy requires good genetics, a good social fabric, good drugs and good luck. I don't mind fighting the battle to increase my longevity and enjoy the ring, but am reminded of a movie I saw years ago, The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman. In it, a knight who returns home alive from the Crusades finds himself in a chess game with Death. The knight lives as long as he is winning, but the ending of the film, as you can guess, is a forgone conclusion.
2 comments:
This is such a beautiful photo with the light coming through the glass globe and the tree. You have an inspiring collection of images of Bend already.
it's interesting how the different generations have different thoughts about their current situations.
when i was teenager i wanted to grow up. in the early 20 i wanted to finish university and to find a good work, now i want family and children...
many people make efforts /not to increase longevity/ but to have a healthy life! they often do sports, eat healthy food, breath fresh air, travel every weekend to escape the stress in the big city...
when we have big goals in life sometimes we forget the most important - our health!
;)
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