OK I admit it, I'm a mall walker and at the moment I'm love'n it. For years I've had a love hate relationship with my gym. Sure it's great when I first join, but after a few months I get bored of running and climbing to nowhere. Fortunately I live near a mall where walking is serious business. When I first decided to take on the sport, I was at a cross road with my gym... to renew or not to renew. Fed up with the high cost and having to rush to get the best stair machine. Or elbowing my way into an over crowded aerobic class, I decided to give it a try. Alternating the walking with a weight and pilates regimen at home, would balance out nicely. By the way, I'm actually texting this article while speed walking. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't always such a confident mall walker. At first I was convinced I would be the youngest walker by far. When I arrived, not only were there walkers younger than I, but also I got a vibe that there existed some kind of unspoken mall walking etiquette. Every one was walking uniformly in the same direction. I quickly fell into line and walked counter clockwise, learning to pass the slow pokes with courtesy. After a couple of days I found that I started getting a kink in my neck and didn't know why. I soon discovered that as I walk, my head is turned in one direction the entire time. Why, you say? Window-shopping of course! For the entire hour that it takes to complete my 3-mile tour, 3 times upstairs and 3 times downstairs, my head had been facing the store windows. For the sake of my health and my window-shopping fun, something had to be done! I had to break the unspoken law and walk in the opposite direction, if only for half the time. On my way home that day I was filled with insecurities. Do I dare? What will they think of me? Was I allowed? I got myself into such a tizzy that I actually stopped into the mall office and foolishly asked about the etiquette of mall walking. It's one thing to break an unspoken law, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't an official rule. The guy at the desk assured me, with a smile (actually it was more of a muffled laugh), that no such law exists. In fact the mall doesn't even promote the activity. The doors open two hours before the stores open and the walkers' pile in. Confident in with my decision, I set out in a clockwise direction. Sure I got stared down and nearly knocked down. The grey haired ladies looked especially appalled, scared even. There was a Puerto Rican rebel in the house. I admit it took a little getting use to, maybe 5 minutes, but now I'm as confident as ever. So next time your in the mall, keep an eye out for the crazy Puerto Rican blogging as she speed walks in the opposite direction.
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