Parklife

Part 1: In the gloaming

This one goes out to all the When In Romers... Having taken up running last year, and wanting to continue that habit post-relocation, I endeavoured to find a good circuit in the walkable neighbourhood shortly after moving in. And lo, there 'twas, a newly developed riverside park complete with wheel-friendly paths, some truly admirable landscaping, and a good deal of activity equipment to make even the surliest child crack a grin... Dream. Thus, I donned my jogging attire and set out. The more I ran, the more I realised that I was becoming part of a mass movement - the park life. There are different levels to this animation: some folk are just out for a simple stroll, others yearn for greater velocity and thus take to their trainers or wheels, whilst a select few are hell-bent on a personal best, and will dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge their way through and around the dawdlers as best they might. I fall into this second category: not that I'm not content to amble about at my leisure, rather I admit I unabashedly use the park to slake my cardiovascular needs. 
Well, to begin with I was quite satiated by a good run a couple of times a week. If the sun were out I would go out more frequently. Wonderful! My workload was upped, but I mercifully I discovered that, in fact, my favourite time to run was chasing the sunset across the park, trying to race it home and beat the dark... The twilight hour changed everything - the intensity, the spirit, the emotion: the carefree gallivant became a purposeful stride, children were being taken home instead of taken out to play, bats began to dance across the darkness while the moths played with the street-lamps. And best of all, the sweet scent of sun-kissed earth lingered in the air, as it only can in warmer climes. Well, that, and there was the added touch of a cleanly bleach-like fragrance of the detergents floating down the river. (On a tangent, some have quibbled the latter, protesting as to the safety of the poor defenceless ducks who deign to paddle on in from time to time. Yet, this was negated by some science bods, and all is well in the world. Personally, I quite like it. It has that magnificent illicit bouquet of something not-really-supposed-to-be-inhaled, like marker pens or turpentine. Yummy.) Anyway, back on point - there was also a sporadic whiff of lavender, casually sedating the senses of any and all who wandered past, inducing a yet further sense of tranquility, aided and abetted by the chuckling of the river as it gurgled over the ornamental dams. 
And all of this to a rainbow myriad backdrop as the sunlight's final caresses make windows beam and clouds blush... The dazzle of liquid gold spilled across facades illuminates the faces of those in its vicinity, inspiring a momentary amnesia of reasons for angst and ire, and a fleeting acknowledgment of awe and admiration. 
To summarise: park = yes. At sunset, a thousand times yes. And please sir, can I have some more? 


Part 2: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! 

That was all fine and dandy until I realised my envy of those whooshing past on personally-powered wheels (be they blades, skates, boards, bikes, prams... well not so much, but you catch my drift) would not be abated. I kitted myself out, and, fully equipped, made a bee-line for the park. This was to be the start of a beautiful friendship... 
Two months down the line - and although shamefully I must own to still not having learnt how to stop - I remain quite happily in the honeymoon phase with both park and wheels. The fact is, I am still doing the same quantity of exercise as before, if not more. But I'm willing to put more effort in, and go more often, because it's just darn good fun. I have also convinced others to join me in this persuasion, thus killing two birds with one, more sociable, (rolling) stone. (Geddit.) (Oh dear.) 
So I suppose this has brought me nicely to a well-rounded moral: if there is something you really ought to do, but which doesn't quite whet your appetite as is, explore it in other forms, styles, or mediums, until you should discover the float for your boat. Here, in such a pursuit, I once again decided to indulge my inner child, and following a common trend turned out to be an inspired way of transforming my exercise routine. As you can see from Part 1, it wasn't that I didn't enjoy running, rather the opposite. Physical activity remained, however, much more of a chore, until there were rollerblades involved. Now, it's honestly a delight. So I advocate rifling through your options, and using whatever you can to turn your tasks - not just exercise, but any assignment or burden that might benefit from such a transformation - from tedious to terrific. What are you waiting for?!