I am an inveterate jogger. Correction! I was an inveterate jogger until I had a knee and hip replacement. Now I walk. But I miss jogging.

Question: How did I begin jogging? I trace the origins to a time almost 30 years ago when I watched joggers, soaked with the sweat of intensity, ascending the hills at the northern end of Brant Lake. I decided that I would join them, but I procrastinated. I had always viewed those hills as mounds of leftover dirt from the time when God created the Adirondacks. So I searched for a beginner’s hill, the type of hill that only descends. That type of terrain would be my starting point for jogging, but a hill that only descends does not exist. For the first time in my life I learned that whatever goes down must also go up. Therefore I need a new destination to begin my exercise.

Then, one night, I dreamed that I was in a forest of telephone poles and, only via running or jogging, could I escape entrapment.

When I awakened in the morning I realized the dream was an inspiration. For someone who thrives on inspiration I decided the telephone poles symbolized my technique for becoming a jogger. And I could accomplish this on level ground. All I needed were telephone poles and there were many of them on Route 8.

Sneakers tied. Sweat towel around my head. T-shirt inscribed, “Just do it.” I decided to do it. The telephone poles would be my measurement for how far I jogged each day. Perhaps I would start by passing only 20 poles on my first jog. Sadly, I only passed one telephone pole, a distance of 100 yards. I wasn’t even sweating but I could barely breathe. “Just do it.” “No I can’t.”

The next day I downsized the challenge to two poles! And, much to my surprise, at the end of one week, I could jog past six telephone poles. I was on my way to becoming an accomplished jogger! Success! At the conclusion of the month, I measured the length of my jogs in miles and not in telephone poles. I even found a few drops of sweat on my forehead and almost looked like a jogger.

This is how I began my career as a jogger!

In these difficult times I remind myself progress comes slowly, one step at a time or, more accurately, one telephone pole at a time.

Hang in there!

Sheltering