Obesity's Walk
Side note first: I learned one of the waiters at the Chinese restaurant we frequent enjoys playing the guitar and singing. Before he moved to the US, he sang and played for 3 years in China...or something like that. I didn't quite understand what he said. =P
Waiting for my meal to be served, I overheard a family at the restaurant as they prepared to leave. Present were who appeared to be parents, grandparents, son and daughter. The daughter must have been around the height and build of a 6 or 7 year. Some mention of ice cream was made with which the mother suggested walking there. I was rather shocked to hear the daughter pose the question: Walk? The tone was as if the concept of walking to a destination were completely foreign. Why would one walk? Is it not normal to drive everywhere? Walking is for only inside buildings, right?
Hmm, is that what today's youth believe? I suppose it's not surprising considering the obesity rate as well as what I witness on a daily basis. That is, right around the time school lets out, blocks upon blocks surrounding the school are congested with the cars of parents waiting for the children to drive home or to some after-school activity. I suspect the majority is to take them home. What happened to walking home or even biking home from school? Around here, the only time you could take the bus was if you were beyond the walking/biking distance to school. So, kids get fat and unhealthy, air pollution goes up in the area (great for kids too), quality of life goes down for the surrounding homes... I suppose it's the fear of molesters, abductors and other such street terrors of modern life? Or merely more students thus merely creating the illusion of fewer children hoofing it home?
Regardless, from what I heard at the restaurant, they need to get out more and enjoy the journey rather than just the destination. Even if it's just diagonally across the street to the ice cream parlor. Yes, that's right. That's where the family walked to for some calorie-laden indulgence.
Waiting for my meal to be served, I overheard a family at the restaurant as they prepared to leave. Present were who appeared to be parents, grandparents, son and daughter. The daughter must have been around the height and build of a 6 or 7 year. Some mention of ice cream was made with which the mother suggested walking there. I was rather shocked to hear the daughter pose the question: Walk? The tone was as if the concept of walking to a destination were completely foreign. Why would one walk? Is it not normal to drive everywhere? Walking is for only inside buildings, right?
Hmm, is that what today's youth believe? I suppose it's not surprising considering the obesity rate as well as what I witness on a daily basis. That is, right around the time school lets out, blocks upon blocks surrounding the school are congested with the cars of parents waiting for the children to drive home or to some after-school activity. I suspect the majority is to take them home. What happened to walking home or even biking home from school? Around here, the only time you could take the bus was if you were beyond the walking/biking distance to school. So, kids get fat and unhealthy, air pollution goes up in the area (great for kids too), quality of life goes down for the surrounding homes... I suppose it's the fear of molesters, abductors and other such street terrors of modern life? Or merely more students thus merely creating the illusion of fewer children hoofing it home?
Regardless, from what I heard at the restaurant, they need to get out more and enjoy the journey rather than just the destination. Even if it's just diagonally across the street to the ice cream parlor. Yes, that's right. That's where the family walked to for some calorie-laden indulgence.
posted by Aerial Monkey at
21:15
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