Power Walk
If things keep going the way they're headed, pretty soon Phillips 66 will cost the same, ounce for ounce, as Channel No. 22. And even premium gas doesn't smell that good.
Back in high school I put gas in my car a couple of dollars' worth at a time. Now $2 would hardly garner half a gallon's worth. Considering I drove the retired family car – with a huge V-8 engine – at today's prices, I wouldn't have made it to the nearest gas station and home again for two bucks.
Those formative years must have generated my interest in gas mileage. Until recently I was spoiled in that department. Then we added an SUV to our stable. It's supposed to be a mini version, but it dwarfs our old sedan in everything but gas mileage.
But there are always trade-offs . . . if the air conditioning was running in our old car, it had no get-up-and-go. So we picked up the habit of calling its “A/C Off” switch our “Turbo Button.”
I've heard that the only way to combat the ridiculous record-high gas prices is to reduce our usage, so we should all be walking more. And I have a suggestion regarding how we can get a good start. And it's for a good cause, too.
The Second Annual Parkinson's Unity Walk will be held on Saturday May 3, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Visalia's Blain Park on South Court Street, just north of Caldwell Avenue.
Event planner Mary Dickerson said that they want to accomplish two things with the walk: Raise awareness of Parkinson's disease and raise funds for research into the cause and for a cure.
She tells me that 100 percent of the money raised will go to that research at seven national Parkinson's research organizations, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Talk about raising awareness—Michael J. Fox is a powerful example of turning personal misfortune into doing good for others.
Visalia has our own local example of that in Bruce McDermott. Visalia's retired police chief just happens to be whom the Tulare-Kings Parkinson's Support Group chose to be the honorary chairman of their event.
McDermott was one of the youngest police chiefs ever appointed in the state. He retired at the age of 44 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
He has put his free time to good use volunteering for many organizations around town, from the Parks and Recreation Department to Rotary to Visalia Emergency Aid. Mary calls him the “busiest emcee in town.”
McDermott said he hadn't done anything to directly benefit Parkinson's because “it seemed a bit self-serving,” but when the group asked he decided it was time to get involved.
“Everybody is touched by someone who has Parkinson's,” he said. “It's sometimes thought of as an old man's disease, because it resembles the symptoms of old age, but many are being deprived of mobility in their youth.”
McDermott is passionately optimistic, “There are things that can be done; lives don't have to be written off. This is a disease that can be beat – with the right research it can be beat.”
McDermott said that his own doctor feels that a cure for Parkinson's will be found within the next 10 years.
Research is the key. And that takes funds. Which
brings us back to the walk.
“I'd just encourage as many people as possible to show up,” said
McDermott. “Put it on your calendar.” I think that last part might
have been a direct order.
For those who'd like more info, Mary told me that if people want to get involved
by making a donation, sponsoring someone, or getting pledges and walking themselves,
they should call 622-9044 or 733-9916.
I'm going to rev up my engine and go walking. No matter how out-of-shape I
might be, this walk will feel great compared to that pain I feel at the pump.
When we were shopping for a new car I did make a sincere attempt to find a
hybrid. But none of them seemed to have the room we needed for three growing
boys and all their feet.
I do have to admit I enjoy the monthly grocery trip to Costco in our little
SUV a lot more than I did in the little sedan. But I also dread the more frequent
and expensive trips to Costco's gas pumps.
Ah well, when the pump pain and the smell get to me I'll just head inside
and buy a “Costco-size” jug of Channel No. 22.
Send comments to RoniSMiller@yahoo.com
The above stories are the property of
The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission
in writing from the publisher.
