Hills, Stairs, and Thoughts of Breakfast

This morning as I was driving into the employee's parking lot...well, let me explain the employee's parking lot. It is at the bottom of the hill with steep stairs leading up to the customer parking level...which is level to the facility...stairs itself is a killer especially when you're out of shape (me) and as you reach the top of the stairs, you're trying to maintain some dignity by trying not to breathe heavily or sweat because of makeup..

Anyhow, back to when I was driving into the parking lot...I noticed a certain man walking a certain way up the stairs...very enthusiastic and lively...like he totally enjoyed walking up the steepest stairs out of the four sets of stairs leading up to the main parking lot.

I thought "There is only one man who walks that way" and as he turned to look briefly at the ocean---lo and behold, it is my dad...the retired Marine...the Transportation Coordinator for the DAV in Hawaii.

I quickly thought to myself "I better not let him see me because he'll be yelling from where he to get my fat butt out of the car and join him" while I also thought "hey! I should buy us donuts for breakfast as I visit with him at his office!"

As I got out of my car, I see him at the top of the stairs I climb and he see's me, so of course he tells me "Come on, Malia! Let's go walking! I'm usually walking around here every morning for some exercise." And he's breathing....normally even though he was sweating...the man has a good cardiovascular system despite the fact that he loves to eat ice cream before he goes to bed (my mother shared that with us).

So, I shared with him that I do have a new pair of running shoes that is sitting there patiently in my room and he said "well, bring them to work and we'll go walking!"

Ugh...I have to remember this is the man who loves to run and strength train...

This is the man who loves to run marathons...

This is the man who would run with the kids at Youth Challenge Academy before he retired from there...

This man is in his 60's while his daughter is watching him walk happily away breathing in the fresh morning air of Hawaii, while she is thinking...

"what am I going to eat for breakfast?!"

I need to get seriously motivated....