The last reflection was about being restored through rest.
How about being renewed through exercise? Rest can be active too.
Yesterday, I went along on a day trip to Belgium, destination Brussels.
I knew that Waterloo was on the itinerary but didn’t pay much attention to that. I even wondered, when we stopped, why two long hours were devoted to that stop. I need only mention here that I made it back to the bus less than 10 minutes before the designated departure time! Another hour and I still would not have had my full of Waterloo.
One thing I jumped at, though, to begin with, was the 226 steps climb up the Hougemont (l’-ascension de 226 marches – Butte de Lion’ was a reminder of my times as a youthful adult when hill-climbing was a weekly activity. Of course, I did not attempt to do it in one go. In fact, when hill climbing, I always kept a steady pace, never rushed and had my companions marvel that I made it to summit without the exhaustion that seemed to plague so many.
Now, in my senior years, I know better than to try to sprint up a hill or climb narrow steps as if I would get to heaven faster if I hurried upwards! I had resolved, before climbing the first step, to do a maximum of a dozen steps before stopping to gaze around and take in the scenes. And that I did. I even spent a beautiful quiet moment admiring the thistles growing near the upward path. See them here.
When I made it to the summit, I was treated to the breathtaking view that was promised. Of course, while I give thanks for those who gave their lives in the World Wars, doing battle fight is not my thing. So, I made the most of my exalted position to look over, not so much the “battlefield”, but so much that was in view below, the work of divine and human hands- agriculture, construction and other signs of human activity, the greenery, the landscape and the skyscape too. I breathed in the refreshing air and knew for sure, that exercise is physically renewing, not only because it gets you exhausted and thereby demands rests, but also because it gets those body parts refreshed with blood and tone and purpose.
At the top, I let the benefit of a modern camera help me to claim long lasting panoramic views given to us by android technology. I stop here to ponder my amazement at Mesdag’s Panorama in Den Haag. Mine is here to share with you in just a simple photo- that would have taken Mesdag more drawings than I have space to file away.
So, back to my original point. Exercise is a good factor in making your rest and relaxation worthwhile. The extra 450 steps did not reduce my zeal for walking when I got to our destination. If anything, as I said before, that just made for a better right’s rest.