Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I didn't know what I was going to slug this entry. But when the moment came, I typed in "We love spring". Then I turned around and said to Tommy, "Do we love spring?" "Yes," he said. "Why?" I asked.
"We got so much ahead of that."
"Like what?"
"Like warmth and sunshine."
Ah yes, warmth and sunshine. We have enjoyed sunshine all day--and in the spring, the sunshine is just right. Right now, for example, we are finishing dinner at the dining-room table, which faces west; so sunshine is pouring in through the front windows. This morning, we did our physical-therapy session on the back porch, which was also bathed in sunshine because it faces east. In this morning's session, Tommy set a new record with 12 minutes of pedaling. I know why he's doing so well with his pedaling: last week, I told him that I would do my free-weight arm lifts in tandem with his pedaling, so that every time one of his feet goes down, I have to lower the five-pound weight on that side and lift the opposite weight above my head. In effect, this arrangement has given Tommy control over my arm exercises--it has turned the tables and made him my trainer instead of me serving as his trainer. And seeing me sweat bullets lifting weights has motivated him to work harder at his pedaling. This morning, for example, as he kept pedaling instead of stopping at the ten-minute mark (for the first time), and as he watched me struggling to keep up with him for those two additional minutes, he was laughing. Ah, the things we do for love. But hey, it is spring, after all.