Sunday, February 23, 2014

Traveling Virtually--Using Imagination is Something I've Always Done

So, today I put in another 7 miles.  This time I could run on the streets with almost no worries related to ice.  That was good.  I waited until it was just light.  And I ran out to York Rd, south to just above where it intersects with Bellona, back up Bellona to Northern, across to Charles, up to Stevenson, back to York, down to Regester, over to Beverly, back to Arran, back to Sherwood, along the Alameda to Northern, back to Chinquapin, and then home.  Nice easy run.  The fastest mile of the first four included the trek up Stevenson.  Then I ran harder for the last three. After the easy 12 with company for nine yesterday, this was good.

In terms of my virtual pilgrimage, I am now on Leatherwood Rd about three miles west of "downtown" Salesville, OH.  I use downtown loosely as there is Main Street and maybe 16 square blocks total.  They do have a church, the Salesville Church of Faith.  

What is interesting is to ponder the virtual travel.  Yesterday, we even did a bit of "virtual travel" with our dinner pizza.  We put a combination of manchego cheese, mozzarella cheese, and feta cheese on the pizza.  Sort of a tour of the northern Mediterranean.  When I brought dinner to the table and said in my most "documentary narrator" voice "Tonight's pizza has us traveling along the Mediterranean from Spain to Italy and on to Greece," Sherry asked if I were narrating a PBS program.

It is fun.  

And it is an advantage of the world we have today.

I can get cheeses from three countries (or at least derived from cheese in three countries--I believe the only imported one was the manchego).  I can follow along on a map down to the mile to see where I am as I trace a path.  

The imagination--trying to picture where I am running.  Finding the names of streets (like Rainbow Run a few weeks ago and Leatherwood now) interesting.  It is like the imagination I've always had.  Even role playing games back in the day. 

The other day at a meeting, I ran into a couple colleagues I hadn't seen in a while.  They commented that I hadn't changed.  They were talking about appearances.  I see a little more gray.  And I see a few more wrinkles.  But, I am lucky to run.  Lucky not to gain weight.  Lucky to look youthful.  And I think that my use of technology to achieve virtual things ultimately is similar to what I have done for years as well.  It goes along with a comment at one of my leadership team meetings at the office last week.  We were trying to quickly figure out the 19th letter of the alphabet.  I knew to start from M as the 13th that didn't necessarily occur to my colleagues.  I commented on how this just carried over but once a friend had told me--if it is a part of you and what you do, just go with it.

So it goes.  As I go on, I continue to find imaginative ways of using and shaping the environment around me to produce an interesting life.

And I continue to hope that others enjoy sharing it.   

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