Walking With Walter

      I have an  81 year old neighbor who is a retired college psychology instructor. Walter is very active and one thing he does a lot of in the winter is walking. Walter firmly believes that physical activity is very good for you. He always walked with his wife but this winter she said it was too icy so Walter walks by himself.


     I was out walking a few days ago and met Walter. Walter just said, "Come walk with me." Now you can't turn Walter down. He said, "We'll just go as far as the mall." Well, we got to the mall and Walter just continued walking. I didn't say anything because Walter is and interesting guy to listen to.


     Now Walter is a fairly passionate person. First, on his list are his wife and children. After that it's psychology, gardening and bees. Walter reads two newspapers a day and probably watches several news casts so he is intensely interested and knowledgeable about current affairs. Walter trims trees and shrubs. He knows how to trim and when and why. He trimmed his honey suckle hedge in January because that was the proper time to trim . So there he was in the deep snow and below zero temperatures of January. He has about 20 beehives and is a walking encyclopedia on bees. Walter spends a good part of the summer looking after bees. Walter has a large vegetable garden which is very successful. Walter is a thinking man. He thinks about how bees behave and how plants grow and why. 


     I've known Walter for a long time. So the other day when we walked we covered a wide range of topics. When Walter really gets interested in something, he stops walking. So the walk is not only long in distance but also in time. So we talked about Walter's walking, icy conditions, conditions in Greece, my children, gay and lesbian people and probably as many topics again that I have forgotten. On most things Walter and I are on the same page but he's very knowledgeable so I learn a lot by listening to him. The only things we disagree on is capital punishment and sentencing  for crime. Walter would execute all murderers and put people in jail and throw away the keys.


     So the moral of my story is that when you walk with an eighty one year old it is enjoyable and enlightening. Now I'm kind of advertising for myself because I'm coming up on the 81 sooner than I think. So in  a few years I will be a good person to walk with.