Watching Concrete Dry


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Husband James cracks me up. I can see him out the window. The cement workers just left from pouring our brand new second driveway…an RV pad for Das Bus. James is certain the neighborhood children plan to muck up our perfect wet cement, those dastardly children. So, there he sits in his lawnchair. Policing the concrete. Watching cement dry.  I’m sure the children are hiding behind bushes in their bare feet, just waiting for their moment to squish concrete between their impish toes. That, or they’re hiding in their houses trying to stay cool since it’s over 100 degrees out.

James could hardly stand it when 20 minutes ago I pressed both grandchildren’s hands in the corner of the RV pad and then, horror of horrors, used a nail to scratch in the year. James tends to be a bit, well, CDO (that’s OCD with the letters alphabetized just how he likes). So! Handprints in his perfect RV pad were a tough one for him.

Amelia and Eli's handprints in the new RV pad

Amelia and Eli’s handprints in the new RV pad

It’s funny, twenty years ago, James wouldn’t have had a fleeting thought about the neighborhood kids. He wouldn’t have had a fleeting thought for a new RV pad for that matter, either. Heck, 20 years ago we wouldn’t have had any clue what terms like “Class B” or “Black Tank” meant…now he writes RV tips articles on both topics! So, yes, he’s changed, we’ve changed. Our personalities, our bodies, our experiences. I guess it makes sense, as we all shift and grow with time. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing, changing. It can actually a pretty hopeful thought…that we’ve changed and are going to continue to change.  We have a lot of control over that, and can definitely manipulate the journey. Take exercise and weight loss, as an example. If you have some weight to lose, you can change your exercise habits and work towards transforming yourself into the person you want to become. We aren’t stuck here, as we are now in this moment. We can create our own change. I think James and I have been pretty successful with that over the years; constantly trying to better ourselves. Though we’ve still got tons of work to do. There’s a quote I just put up on The Fit RV Facebook page….”It doesn’t matter where you are, you are nowhere compared to where you can go.” I love that quote and find it inspiring. It reminds me that the past is done and unchangeable. But the possibilities of what directions to steer my future self towards; ENDLESS.

None of this explains why James feels the need to chase kids off our concrete.

I just got back from taking some water out to my Grumpy Old Man. He saw me, smiled, gave me a kiss, and then got me a lawnchair. I joined him for a little while, watching the concrete dry. We held hands as we planned out a partner exercise workout that we’ll do together later today. It hit me as I sat there, perhaps James isn’t a Grumpy Old Man after all. And then you know what he did? As I was going back inside, while I was still having warm and fuzzy hubbie thoughts – he took the lawnchair I had JUST BAGGED out of the bag and turned it to put it in the other way. Apparently there is a right way to bag lawnchairs (sigh). Who knows, maybe in 10 years he’ll be okay with the chair being in the bag backwards. Or maybe I’ll be the CDO one, bagging the lawnchairs properly and chasing kids off my lawn.



After 15 years as an educator in both the public K-12 setting and the University level in Special Physical Education, Stef made the leap to her true passion… the fitness world. She’s currently a personal trainer and wellness coach specializing in seniors, medical conditions, and injuries. Stef loves running, cycling, and being “Mugga” to her two favorite mini-humans — Punky and Marshmallow. ❤️


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