It’s December 26th and we’re talking 80 degrees in Florida. I’m not complaining, chilling at the Wyndham Club Resort. I’m still tired from returning from a week in Long Island, NY this Friday. So driving to Daytona on Saturday is not a good fit for me. I’m still doing 100 push-ups a day. Today is day eight. I managed sets of 10 today and this put me in a good enough state to run for 30 minutes on the beach.

wow, nobody is wearing a mask 😷. Just me looking weird as I leave the resort through the pool area and onto the beach ⛱. Finally I take off my mask. You know running is very tough with a mask. I’m zig zapping through crowds. It’s seven feet distance not really close enough to worry about covid. I’m more concerned 😟 with these little tots crossing my path. And don’t want to be a bully and step on their sand castles, even accidentally.

it’s civilization, being around people without masks, seeing their faces, acknowledging other people’s human existence. I’m 15 minutes out a good clip and only now on my return run do I feel a bit of struggle. Keeping in mind the past few days and my daily push-ups I’m happy just to be enjoying the beach, the shoreline, the splashy water. Seagulls and sandpiper congregate and then disperse, some scamper away with their quick little feet, others take flight and tease me to try to tag them. Not today.

I’m greeted with a neat little surprise at the end of my run: a man is sculpting what looks like an Indian resting on his elbows reclining in the sand. It’s obvious he is talented. My wife informs me later the sand sculpture was actually a mermaid. I plan to post the 📸 on my Instagram.