Changing Directions

The paths we travel during our lives are usually random, until something happens to change our direction. Sometimes this something is a stroke of good luck, and other times, we are given a sign. I've experienced both many times over my long years of living. I'd like to reflect on a few that had a profound effect on my own life.

One of my first changes came in the early eighties, when stationed at a large Air Force base in Las Vegas. I worked out at the base gym regularly, doing aerobic, now referred to as cardio, exercises. The NCO in charge of the gym asked if I'd like to teach a class. The latest exercise craze was aerobics, which involved a leader demonstrating how to do the exercises, and the class following along. Called the Super Sarge exercise program, the class was a great success. From that day on to the end of my twenty four years in uniform, I was involved in some way with the fitness of the base personnel. I believe mine was the first Aerobics class in the USAF. I began writing a fitness column for the base newspaper then as well.

The next big direction change came after retiring from military service. While on a morning training walk, out on a country road, a little field mouse took up with me and stayed right at my side for about thirty feet before heading back into the tall grass. I'd never had that happen before, even though I regularly did miles on rural roads. But what made this amazing was after returning home that day, the owner of the DisneyRunning web site called to ask me to be the walking adviser and a moderator of his web page. This happened ten years ago, and I've been involved with Disney groups ever since. During those years, I've had the honor of helping a lot of people train for and complete the half and full marathons held annually at Walt Disney World.

Most recently, I started training for and competing in the National Senior Games. The local newspaper ran a story about my training partners and I, who had qualified for the 2013 games being held in Cleveland. Early in the next year, while fitting glasses for the General Manager of the paper, we talked about my own writing history. He gave me the opportunity to write a column in the Living Fit magazine they produced. This chance meeting has allowed me to share my message of health and fitness with their readers.

Since then, I've started writing a Blog column in the Nashville Tennessean, Ultimate Fit and Fun Runner magazine all because of chance meetings.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave