Today Tracy M gave me a shirt and a growler, found in this odd ensemble:

Over a year ago I joined the walking program, managed by Tracy, at Devonshire Senior Center.  Some of us walk indoors at the Center, in a room with a jukebox, a piano, and a stage with steps up and down on its sides. Some of us walk outdoors on the mileage-measured sidewalk at nearby Los Olivos Park. I often do both, as I did today: a measured mile (3 laps) at the Park, and at least three miles (I did 65 laps, and it takes at least 15 laps to do a mile in this room) indoors. Tracy took my numbers at her desk. Here she is, uncharacteristically without her glasses on:

She truly and literally walks the walk. And she is Fitness personified, ultra-lean yet not gaunt. She is a Perfect Fit for her job, and her encouragement and steadfastness enable many of us to step lively, whether we be 35, 63 or 90. Whenever I despair of the state of our country and its so-called “leadership,” a thought of what happens at the community level, with such as Tracy and her generously giving sistren and brethren helping us in good health, always cheers me up.