Heidi's new boyfriend..

Thursday, September 14, 2013

I had another meeting after work with my partners in the magazine venture.  It’s so good to get together with people of a like mind as it relates to health and fitness.  We are mapping out the topics for the next several editions and all of our conversations are about the people and opportunities that abound to help readers who may be trying to make a positive influence of their own fitness and activity levels.  I feel quite good about the direction the magazine is taking because I think it can actually make a difference in the lives of the people to whom we hope to reach.

I hurried home from the meeting for a dinner party that was to include Heidi’s new boyfriend.  We’d been hearing quite a bit about him, including that he took a camping trip every year where he didn’t carry any food, living off the land instead.  This seemed rather extreme to me though I had to admit that I would like to be able to do it.  I was anxious to hear how he accomplished it and began to question him after we’d finished eating.

“I hear you do some pretty serious camping and backpacking.  Where’d you go last?” I asked.

He looked at me and was thinking before he answered and finally said, “Nelson’s Ledges,” which is a state park a little south and east of us and a long way from backcountry camping.  I could see he was continuing to wrack his brain and finally said “the Bad Lands.”

I probed…only out of interest…and it appeared that Heidi may have exaggerated his back country experiences.  I don’t think she was doing it to impress me, but maybe more to have me see that he was the kind of guy I would like, which I think is important to her.  As with her previous boyfriend of over six years, I continue to have one condition that really matters…they have to be good to her and make her happy.  Everything else is simply window dressing.  It turns out he has done some back country camping and was a little tongue-tied when I began asking questions.  I suppose he was intimidated by my telling him that my bear occurrences had always ended badly for the bear.

“I heard you take them on bare-handed and then have them for dinner,” he said.

“Is there another way?” I asked.  Oh...how the legend grows...

I ate poorly…Annie Anne hot dogs and chocolates shakes…and then had no time for exercise.  It was just one of those days when there really wasn’t any time.  They’re going to happen and I shouldn’t waste too much time beating myself up about it.  Back on the horse tomorrow.