Walking DFW C Concourse. And counting…

~ Live & Learn

Fitbit Step Challenge. Week # something. Shocked I’m still in this stupid counting game. Just quit Man, just quit.

DK vs. 3 millennials, including Daughter and her friends…

Ran five miles on hotel treadmill yesterday before showering and taking an UBER to the office. Right. And dragging my a** all day. I am too bloody old for this.

But, I’m 8k steps ahead of the Youth Pack, and there’s a single objective: To stretch the lead and break spirits. Break ‘em.

There is no mercy on the young. You leave the comforts of the nest, and you be on your own. Blood or no blood.

I arrive at DFW Airport. 4:45 am. Bleary eyed. Stomach upset. Last night’s dinner talking. Nacho chips, 2 cups of spicy salsa (home made at hotel and a “house special” – “Would you mind sending me an extra cup please?”), spicy chicken wings with blue cheese and a jumbo chocolate chip cookie. And, just before bed, not one but two candy bars from mini bar. At what age does one learn STOP?

I slide my carry-on into x-ray machine and walk through TSA Screening. I’m waiting for my bag to come out the other side on the conveyer. “Sir, is this your bag?” I nod. “Sir, laptops are supposed to be taken out of the bag.” He lingers, hangs and stretches on “laptopssssssss.” I tell him that I’m Priority Pre-Check. He glares and repeats, at a louder decibel level: “All laptopsssss are required to be taken out of bags.” I feel the eyes of other TSA officials, and can’t resist: “We’ll Sir, no one told me the ground rules.” Why, WHY, do you feel a need to counterpunch. You’ll be dragged into the back room, frisked head to toe, asked for your Green Card, and deported in a failure to comply with new immigration rules.

I’m clear.

And I walk.

5:14 am. TGI Friday’s. A bartender standing in front of a backlit bar. One lone patron at the bar nursing a low ball. @ 5:14 am. Sad. An Edward Hopper moment.

I walk.

5:17 am. Fried chicken wafts down corridor. I approach. Chick-Fil-A. The Line is 14 deep. @ 5:17 am. My stomach groans and does back flip. I abruptly turn away.

I walk.

5:19 am. AuntieAnne’s. Freshly baked cinnamon buns. Warm glaze dripping down on the pastries in the glass case. Sweet teeth (my addiction is no single tooth) are begging for appeasement. Mouth waters. No. No. No. I walk.

5:21 am. Fox News and Sundries Shop. Empty. A Liberal terminal?

I walk.

5:22 am. Dunkin’ Donuts. Line 5 deep. Glazed donuts. Chocolate covered crullers. My stomach is settling. No it’s not idiot. Don’t take the bait. Walk away.

I walk.

5:23 am. Overhead TV monitors. CNN. Porn Star. Trump. Queasiness returns.

I walk.

5:25 am. “Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.” A sit down restaurant. ~12 patrons. Seafood, at an airport restaurant. @ 5:25 am. Something acidic is backing up my esophagus.

I walk away, quickly.

5:35 am. McDonalds. Bacon, Egg and Cheese. Wheels on carry-on veer left, like a Ouija board, independent of owner-operator. I jerk it back.

I walk.

5:38 am. ”Freshens Energy Zone.” Smoothies. Yogurt. That’s just what I need. Curdled milk in tank on choppy flight. Can there possibly be this many food & beverage shops open before 6am?

I walk and approach the end of the long hallway. I slow. And stop.

5:42 am. @ Gate C2. An American Airlines tribute to veterans and families who have served. Wall size American flag. Wall size Lone Star State flag. Photos of Fathers, Sons, Grandfathers, Daughters, Mothers. I read the memoriams under the photos. It is silent in this area of the terminal. A sanctuary. A small secluded sacred area among a throng of food & beverage shops.

I linger for a few minutes and turn. The wheels on my carryon squeal, breaking the silence. Sacrilegious, this bloody bag of mine. Legs heavy. Shoulders heavy. I flip the iPhone to the Fitbit app to check the step count. And smile. Gap has widened to 11,000 steps. Comfortably ahead.

Wake up Honey, roll out of bed. Flip open your phone and check your Fitbit Challenge position. I can see your grimace. This makes me happy. So very happy. Yes, years from now your ol’ Dad will be clomping around in a walker and still kickin’ your a**.

Notes:

69 thoughts on “Walking DFW C Concourse. And counting…”

  1. I don’t have a fitbit but I am on the exercise trail…and I keep thinking I’m too old for this. I should settle for how my body has settled these past 65 years. But I get out there and walk walk walk like you, and a little on the elliptical. I don’t know what I’m trying to prove, except I’m trying to get a wee bit stronger. Heh.

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  2. You crack me up, pal. Runnin’ the airport gauntlet at zero dark thirty, trying to keep yourself honest, then BAM, “Wheels on carry-on veer left, like a Ouija board, independent of owner-operator.”

    I always throw a couple of KIND bars in my purse when travelling…I find a bar and a cup of coffee will almost always tide me over until I can get to real food. And I’m delighted to see that you’re loosening up and backin’ off that hyper-competitive attitude. Bwwahhhhhaaaaaa…. Remember, as your earlier post noted, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” 🙂

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      1. Yes, 5g, but no sugar alcohols and a low glycemic index. They’re crunchy and delicious — my favorite is the ‘Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate Almond.’ See what I did there?! Chocolate and Caramel that you can feel good about!!! A handful of plain almonds is also very satisfying and easy to carry in a Ziploc bag. You got this, pal! If you can kick a Millennial’s butt before 6a, I know you can stuff that little fast food gremlin back in his jar….

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  3. This was so much fun.
    Yay to you on resisting the morning after the night before’s (over)indulgence!
    And woot! Whup those younguns a*****!
    Go David! Go David! Go David! (Chant it now)
    😁

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  5. ha ha ha….. I WISH I’d EVER be at any airport with wide open (food) arms. But you don’t get anything whatsoever at those I use. nowhere. ever. poor me…..
    But I also think you’re too old to count steps. What exactly are you going to do with your paces-count, except howling with delight that you did more than your young ones?! You don’t owe anybody anything as long as you are happy with yourself…. Maybe it’s just me trying to eat GOOD food, be as kind to myself as I’m to others, be more generous. Don’t know, don’t care but am happy for you!!!

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  6. OMG, Why did I read this?
    I had a soft boiled egg and a boiled potato for breakfast. Now All.I.can. think. about.is.wings!!!!

    Not a sweet tooth here. Unless it’s flan, or créme brule. I don’t fall for a doughnut or cookie. Why waste calories on that. I make it healthy sugar, with milk/protein. (Laughing at myself as I type).

    We love Larabars. They get all the sweetness from dates.

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    2. Geez, Sawsan…your boiled egg and potato makes my lunch of lettuce leaves dipped heavily (I swear loudly here) in fatted-up, heart clogging mayo a feast for goddesses.

      It was….

      Let’s just leave it there and keep encouraging DK to keep stepping…

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      1. Mediterranean diet is very healthy. And this soft-boiled egg / boiled potatoes combo is a childhood favorite that my grandmother made for us when we spent summers with her. Drizzled with lots of real good olive oil. And pita bread. The smell of olive oil off of the hot potatoes is heaven. And parsley. Have to have parsley. Mayo made one of my kids very sick when I nursed them and I stopped eating it a long time ago.

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          1. What is perfect, or healthy, about flan? I go for substance though loool.
            I can live on flan. Or milk pudding. Another Mediterranean treat, milk, cornstarch, sugar cinnamon. To be savored hot on winter nights.
            Had spicy chicken wings for lunch. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. At first I had to ignore your post because the doughnuts made me crazy hungry for things I rarely eat and don’t keep in my house…kept on walking…and, now I return, and I think I’m in the wrong group! All this competitive exercising against oneself…My sports were dance and then tennis, and always yoga–my credo has been: exercise by doing something you love doing often. So, now I have to wonder about your meaning of “marathon”……

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    1. Laughing. Don’t even begin to waste your time figuring out my meaning of “Marathon” or anything else for that matter – it would all be a lesson in frustration. 🙂

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  14. Veggies, David; what about veggies!
    I do recall the difficulty I had finding a good ol’ plate of steamed veggies in your wonderful restaurants… I’m literally drooling at the thought, David. Maybe it’s because I can ‘hear’ your tummy from here!!! 😉 😉

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  15. Love your offering today..oh how i miss glazed donuts….me being Gluten free and diabetic, can eat some of the kind bars…if I am going to have some gluten free carbs- I had it with my breakfast eggs with cheese sprinkled with smoked salt followed by warm gf brownies and oh that vanilla bean ice cream – haven’t had ice cream like forever…enjoyed immensely…did stepping this afternoon, will follow up with more exercise later today…

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  17. “they” say, workouts are supposed to refresh, invigorate and re-Energise.
    Geesh. what a croc. Its exhaustion that sets in for days, David. Days! …… thats why I had to stop.
    Because, you know, Things really pile up after day 23. LOL

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  20. Airport food.
    I was at JFK last year. Stopped at a Kiosk for a slice of pizza. In the hot table they had some kind of Mac and Cheese type dish. It really looked good. I asked “Could I get like just a half or quarter order in one of those small cups? It looks delicious, but I’m not that hungry” and flashed her my best smile.
    The poor girl shook her head no. No half orders, even after the way I buttered her up.
    It looked good enough I couldn’t help it.
    A slice of pizza and an order of fancy macaroni and cheese comes to $21.50 at JFK.

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  21. Relating. Huffing & slogging my way through DTW last week, having landed at A2 and departing out of something like gate C742, thankfully I had a 2+ hour layover that grew exponentially with the icy weather. I walked past TGI Friday’s, Chili’s, etc and finally made it to the distant lunar landscape gate where the only option was coffee, big bready sandwiches, snacks candy bars. I bought almonds & a water and counted my steps ~ and stayed hungry till I got to the hotel that night. Almonds & water = $7.42. Jiminy crickets!

    MJ

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  22. I empathize with the steps thing. I’ve become obsessed with getting 10,000 steps per day, even if it means having to take a walk at 11:30 at night down to the corner and back. Good luck in your challenge with the millennials!

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