Fresh Air and Leg-Power Day

It's Sunday, and it's spring outside. The sun is out and the air is crispy cool, with a slight breeze. Perfect for a walk. I started late, but better late than never.. My usual weekend walk takes me about an hour and a half, but more importantly, it takes me up some steep hills. As I set my breathing to the pace of my walk, I realize how important healthy and correct breathing is. We take it for granted. The fact that the air-containing oxygen molecules rush into our nostrils and into our lungs in order to join the hemoglobin proteins in our red blood cells, is tantamount to a wonder. I recently noticed that my nasal air passages have been clogged ever since coming back from a long flight several weeks ago. On the flight, I must have been exposed to some air-born viruses which were trying to get access into my respiratory system but were likely blocked by my "local" immune system. The consequence of that episode is probably why I have been "clogged". It's been a few weeks, I was thinking, and this fresh air walk aught to do it much good. How often do we really have a "fresh air" walk? One that clears out our nasal passages and exposes us to pure air? Certainly not on an airplane! Walking up hill, in fact, does that with a vengeance. As fresh air gushes into our lungs, it must expose local viruses to a higher oxygen concentrations, which can't be good for them. Just then, I was reaching one of the peeks, and couldn't help but feel my thigh and calf muscles tightening. That had a great feel to it! Leg power! We always talk about horse power, but hardly about human leg power. It was then that I was eyeing this new Porche sitting in the driveway of a nice house with the driver revving up the engine, transmitting to all within earshot his horse power prowess. I have leg power, I thought to myself, and that's what counts. We need to get back to basics. The industrial and the electronic revolutions have allowed for much progress on a social/global level, but possibly for some regression on the personal level. As humans, we need to be active and outdoors. We need basic things such as oxygen rushing into our airways, and to use our leg power. So please everyone, just go back to basics and don't underestimate the importance of the "simple" things in life.