When the oldest was ten, we started reading The Hobbit aloud as a family. She listened enraptured, savoring every word. The middle one liked it as well. I remember the youngest, then five, doing forward rolls on the carpet as we read, moving constantly, unable to keep still, but she listened and followed the story closely. We unanimously decided to continue reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy afterwards.
When we were about halfway through book two, The Two Towers, the making of the movies was announced. All of us were caught up in the adventures of Frodo and Sam and the quest for destroying the ring and freeing Middle Earth from evil, so we waited impatiently. As a general rule, we didn’t get into the latest fads, but we ate kid’s meal burgers and fries for months in order to collect all the LOTR figures. It became a family project. I was cleaning out closets this past fall and found the entire collection in a shoebox. I texted the oldest a picture and she laid claim immediately. No one contested her. We all knew that out of all of us, she was the biggest fan. When we finished reading the Lord of the Rings, she began reading them over and over-even bought a copy of the first book in Spanish. She and a friend, who also loved the books, actually learned to write notes to each other in runes in elementary school. And if we played the LOTR trivia game, you knew to be on the oldest’s side if you wanted to win. All of our offspring were readers to varying degrees, but the oldest would rather read than anything when she was growing up. She carried her book everywhere.
When she was in junior high, I was trying to motivate her to find something she enjoyed and get moving in order to keep fit. The youngest and middle one both liked playing sports, but the oldest stuck to band and reading-sedentary activities with the exception of marching season. It was a challenge to find something she liked that would get her moving.
And then, I was reading a magazine one day and I saw it. The Lord of the Rings movie exhibit was making one stop in the U. S. They were coming to the Boston Museum of Science. The date of the event was about ten months away and it gave me an idea. We lived on a pretty tight budget, but Kent traveled often enough with his job that he had a store of frequent flier miles and hotel points built up. He agreed to donate them to the cause and I got to work on a plan.
A few days later, I offered our oldest the opportunity to go to Boston for three days. The two of us would take an early flight so as to have maximum time for sightseeing the first day, we’d see the exhibit on day two, and we’d spend day three sightseeing before taking a late flight home. There was a catch-she had to get moving. She had to agree to The Quest, a couch-to-fitness plan devised by me. For thirty minutes, five days per week, she had a training schedule that included a few core exercises and an aerobic activity. There were several activities from which to choose, but each would gradually increase in difficulty over the months. Increasing her water intake was included in the requirements. If she stuck with the plan for six months, we would make the reservations. If she continued over the remaining weeks until the exhibit, she and I would go to Boston.
She agreed to the challenge, somewhat reluctantly, but she really wanted to see that exhibit. I had her track her progress and keep a fitness diary, doing my best to make it fun and encourage her along the way. She reached the six month point and we made trip plans. Our round trip flights cost us fifteen dollars each and the two nights at the hotel were free-until we got there and realized the reservation had been made for two rooms for one night instead of one room for two nights, but that’s another story.
We had a blast. As it turned out, Sean Astin, aka Sam Gamgee, was there the day we visited the museum. She got to shake his hand and get his autograph. We spent hours looking at swords, costumes, and special effects. It was a wonderful exhibit. On our other two days, we walked the Freedom Trail, toured the USS Constitution, and visited Boston Common where we took our pictures with Robert McCloskey’s “Make Way For Ducklings” statues and contributed to the bad eating habits of some overfed squirrels. We had a great time together and made a great memory.
Did the fitness habit stick? Well, she didn’t choose to become a distance runner or anything like that, but she did run with me in the mornings before school when she was at Auburn and she once participated in the Love Your Heart Run. More than anything, she realized how important it was to do something active to keep fit.
You don’t have to run and you don’t have to be obsessed. Just get moving. It makes you feel better, sleep better, and burns calories. There’s no guarantee you’ll live longer, but the quality of your life will probably improve. And if you find a few friends or family members to exercise with you, it’s a lot more fun.
February is American Heart Month. There’s a wealth of information out there on healthfinder.gov, cdc.gov, and at heart.org. What better time to take a look, make a plan, and call some friends. You can even start a Quest of your own. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get moving!
