What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
Growing up in metro Detroit, I lived on a cul-de-sac with lots of kids of various ages when we played sports outside all year long.
Living on an island right on the Canadian border, my neighbors and I played lots of team sports including softball, football and soccer. Marco Polo in our family pool. Solo, I walked and rode my bike even more as I grew up.
About that time, my family bought a year around cottage up north on a small lake west of I-75. In the summer, we swam in the lake and water skied. In the winter, we skied at Boyne Country ski resorts.
Being a Detroiter, it was our duty to watch the Lions, Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings either in person or on tv. The old Tigers stadium was the location of a Hank Aaron movie as well.
Later on, my family moved to northern Michigan near Lake Michigan and selling the cottage near the freeway, I was starting high school and I experienced riding my 10 speed bike all over the small town. Plus, although not a sport, I walked everywhere. The exercise and the joy of being separate from my family was golden.
During my high school years, I raced downhill and trained with the only Michigan resident who made the US Ski Team. It was a learning experience. Plus, I was a cheerleader for basketball for JV and Varsity squads. Our flashlight dance routines put us on the map.
My college years at school, I walked for exercise. At home, my sport was cycling on my ten speed bike to ride through town and out to a factory. After my grandmother passed, I was fortunate to be thought of so I purchased my Raleigh Technium 12 speed Touring bike that I still ride now. My parents were mad that I spent so much money on it but I still ride it 40 plus years later. I keep it in my house.
Also, my family bought a Hobie Cat sailboat to use on Lake Michigan. The catamaran boat in a bright yellow frame and colorful sail was exercise cruising across the lake. My family made the local paper a few times while sailing with it.
Post divorce in west Michigan, years later, I lived in a walkable neighborhood full of adorable bungalows and school built in the 1930s. It was pleasant and peaceful to explore by foot. Later, The White Pine Trail, opened as a paved trail for bikers, walkers, hikers and skateboarders. Not far from my house, I rode my bike to other towns.
After my move to north Texas, I did ride the paved trails between gated neighborhoods and power lines. Although, it was meant to connect neighbors and build community, they didn’t have the same therapeutic results as the trail in Michigan.
As I sense my move back to northern Michigan, I look forward to riding my bike around town and hiking in the snow in the winter into town. The sense of peace while being outdoors is therapeutic.
Grateful that I’ve been active all of my life. And, I plan to continue. Life, to me, is meant to be lived the fullest of not necessarily the big events but of the small and precious moments that happen every day.
The Magnificent Modern Mature Woman 