I’m overweight. It’s true. Not horribly, but enough. I’ve needed to work out for a long time. Back when I was acting with greater frequency my workout was part of my work. I would be learning dance choreography for a musical or repeating the same physical motions with ever greater precision over and over and over again. Now I sit at a desk mostly. I read, I write, I think. You know that statue of the guy thinking (yep, that’s it) it’s kind of like that… except looking at me would not immediately remind someone of a work of art. Hopefully what comes from out of me sitting at my desk might remind someone of a work of art (eventually) but the image itself is nothing particularly spectacular.
This isn’t about me working out though. While my wife would love it if I could somehow find the will and the time to workout, “Exercise Time with Dad” is time my son and I spend together while my wife is exercising. My wife is quite committed to her workouts and she needs to avoid the presence of a crying or needy baby if possible during the time she sets aside for this activity. The time has happily turned into an opportunity for my son and I to spend some time together. We tend to have quite a bit of fun.
Initially I thought I’d be able to get some work done. I thought my son might want to play on the floor with his toys while his Dad read books. I was wrong. More than anything my son likes to watch his mother. Seeing her move and stretch makes him quite happy for a short time but eventually the novelty wears off and he starts to wonder why she isn’t picking him up. We end up taking a walk, playing some games, and having some fun conversations about our very different days. I’ve learned a great deal from these times about my son because we frequently repeat the same activities. I can see his big improvements in identifying objects, reaching for them, and grabbing them successfully without a lot of flailing around or uncertainty. Perhaps when he’s older we’ll actually have some exercise time with Dad, but for right now I’m just happy for the time well spent.