Staying Fit, and Tuning In

Nearly every morning I awake to the sounds of the baroness, who lives in the penthouse above us.  She begins striding through her flat with a purpose.  She is in a hurry, but she doesn't go anywhere.  She speedwalks back and forth. Her flat is two-stories, and so I probably only hear her on the floor above.  She is about the same age as I - early 70's, and as slim as can be.  She is perhaps 5'7" and 120 pounds.  She dresses fashionably, although I most often see her in exercise clothing.  

My first introduction to her was when she was coming home from her squash game.  She had on shorts and a sleeveless blouse, white socks and tennis shoes, and a sun visor - all perfectly matched.  She speaks like one who must be obeyed in a proper British accent and short clipped questions and answers.  At other times I have seen her in hats, which look smashing on her.  She was made for hats.

What intrigues me most is that striding around at indecent times of the day.  I try to picture her up there with a Fitbit on, elbows against her sides, fists raised and shoulders at alert, marching at a rapid pace and breathing heavily.  This lasts for anywhere from a half hour to an hour.  No wonder she is so slim!

Contrast her with our neighbor next door.  We share a wall (it must be a living room wall in each apartment.  The man who lives there is a student, young and just can't live without the society of others.  Up until a month ago, he partied every night until 4 a.m. or later.  People were coming and going all evening.  Finally, our neighbor upstairs complained, and it has been much quieter.

We watched the Saturday evening Zoom Mission call.  It was all about family history and RootsTech.  Rootstech was held in London last year and was attended by 30,000 people, which is huge.  It's quite an event.  We've been twice and loved it.  This year, so far there are more than 300,000 who have signed up to attend online.  Over seventy percent of those signed up are not members, simply people who are interested in their family history.  Over ninety percent are people attending for the first time.  And a really interesting fact:  People who have registered are from 220 countries, including 14 from North Korea.

And we were told that we can attend sessions of RootsTech!  For the young missionaries, they will need to have someone "with them" watching, meaning someone they are teaching who will be watching on their own computer.  Afterward, they will share what they learned.  I think that is marvelous.  I can hardly wait to tune in.

I didn't bake cookies today, and we didn't visit any of our young adults.  We were on one call with our zone, and we went for a walk. And then the evening mission meeting.  It has been a very relaxing day.  I even fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon!  

I should have been up pacing.


p.s.  If you would like to watch our zone leaders cooking a copy of KFC, tune into this.  They are so funny!

https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofJesusChristOxfordReadingAylesbury/videos/132845905376667

Comments

Erin said…
What a great post! It reminds me a little of an old Alfred Hitchcock movie although I can’t remember which one. Maybe Rear Window? I’m glad the partying student has been quieter of late. It’s so very rude and perhaps he doesn’t realize how loud he is being to the flats around him.
February 21, 2021 at 9:48 PM
Lia said…
I clicked on the missionaries' cooking video just to see what it was like for a minute, and Ed and I watched 20 minutes! They are soooo funny. I love the one's accent.
February 22, 2021 at 3:37 PM
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