Grandpa's Footsteps

So I'm doing this pedometer challenge thing with people in my office. 6 weeks, 40 teams, 12 people per team, 3,000 miles. A lot of numbers, but it all boils down to about five miles a person per day.

I don't know if that sounds like a big number to you or not. I have to admit that I didn't know if it was before about two weeks ago. But since I started wearing this pedometer on my hip, I've become much more aware. 11,000 has become a meaningful number to me. For me, that's how many steps translate to 5 miles.

Racking up that many steps at work is not hard, as long as I take a few brief walking trips throughout the day. The weekends are a bit more challenging, but I've discovered a few paths around the neighborhood that equal roughly two miles. So if I do a couple a day, I'm good.

What does this have to do with the title of this post? Well on a recent walk, I realized I was heading toward the Giant supermarket in our neighborhood. My mind flashed back to childhood, and I had a vivid memory of my Grandpa walking to the local food store. First A&P, then Publix. As a kid, it seemed like an incredibly long trek. It was probably a half-mile at best, but to a kid I guess that is a marathon of sorts.

As with many things you experience when growing up, I didn't give much thought to the reasons behind Grandpa's walks. Looking back now, maybe part of it was the cataracts that so severely affected him in his later years that driving was difficult. His eyesight eventually got so bad that when checking out, he would put his money in his hands and let the cashier take what she needed.

Maybe it was to satisfy his need to get out and keep active. Grandpa could never be accused of being a couch potato, and what bothered him most in his final years was his increasing inability to do the things he loved. Like work in his garden. And those almost-daily walks to Publix.

My Grandpa left us in 1983, but his spirit still watches over me and affects me in ways I don't often think of. That's why when I flashed back to Grandpa's walks, I realized that not only am I walking to the store as he did, but I'm following in his footsteps in many other ways as well. Coming to the U.S. from Italy as a young man, by himself and with nothing to his name, he blazed a trail for our entire family. With his words and deeds, he showed us how to live a full, rewarding life. God, Family, Country.

Thanks Grandpa. I only hope I can eventually fill your shoes and show my family the way as you did for us.