Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Monday, August 24, 2009
Rest day in Rawlins, WY
There must be some nice things about this town, but we haven't seen any yet. To be fair, we are in a motel out by I-80 and the center of town is some distance from here. But from here Rawlins reminds me a lot of Amarillo, TX, once dubbed "The World's Largest Truck Stop". The dominant industry here is obviously oil and gas. There is a steady stream of huge trucks going by on the highway, hauling oil field equipment, industrial fluids, etc. Also, there is a refinery nearby so the air smells like oil products. And it is raining at the moment, so - unlike our usual practice on rest days - we are planning on just hunkering down at the motel today, doing laundry and reading. I did walk around to several nearby stores this morning when the weather was nice though.
A topic that I have been meaning to address at some point on this trip (having nothing in particular to do with Rawlins) is the problem of gross obesity in our country. I don't mean people that are a few pounds overweight, but the disturbing number of people (including many children) who are 50, 100 or even 200 pounds overweight. You don't have to travel to see that it is becoming a very serious national health issue - just go to your local mall, movie theatre or (worst of all) amusement park. An increasing number of people are morbidly overweight. And the most alarming aspect is that they generally don't seem to care, either about their own health and appearance or that of their kids. Today, for example, we went over to a nearby McDonald's for lunch (salads, although I did have a small cheese burger). There was a family in there with the dad and 4 young kids. The dad weighed at least 325 and had a gut so large that he could not tuck his shirt into his shorts. The kids were all chubby, yet everyone was chowing down on burgers, fries and milk shakes. We have seen this kind of thing countless times and I am confident that everyone reading this has too. XXXL people not only endanger their own health and that of their families (by the example they set, if nothing else), but they also use a disproportionate amount of the health care resources that are available. One way or another (i.e., through higher health insurance premiums and/or taxes) we all pay the cost of such so-called "lifestyle" practices, including smoking.
Please understand that Penny and I are not elitist health fanatics and have our share of junk food, fried food, etc. But for whatever reason (genetics, exercise, good fortune, etc.) we are in good health and not at risk for heart disease, diabetes or other complications associated with being way overweight. I also understand than some obesity is driven by genetics, chemical imbalances, side effects of prescription drugs, etc., and that some people will have a life-long struggle with weight gain. My problem are people that don't seem to care enough to try to eat and be healthier. To be very blunt, I am afraid we are becoming a nation of fat slobs.* And many of the slobs' children are being condemned to a life limited to sedentary activities - no participatory sports, outdoor recreation, etc.
Come on people, show that you have some pride in yourselves and that you want something better for your families!
*Here's another example of what I am talking about: physically able people who pull up and park (or have a driver idle the engine) in the fire lane right in front of the store, just to avoid having to walk perhaps 30 yards from the parking lot. We have also seen this a lot on this trip (most recently so the lazy shopper could buy some more cigarettes) and it drives me crazy. If you are able to walk from the lot, then walk. It is likely to be the most exercise many people will get in a day, so why not make last a little while?
Rawlins, WY pic #1
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)