By Steve Romano
There was a time (a long time ago) that I was a fairly good surfer. Gerry Lopez was my hero and I saved my money and bought the classic white board with the red bolt. I wore the red Quicksilver shorts and even sported a Geraldo type moustache. As I got a bit older I became the racquetball pro at Ocean Landings Resort and would play 5-6 hours a day. I played my fair share of baseball and in 1982 walked on and made the West Virginia University Mountaineers baseball team. After that, I played competitive softball and always kept myself in pretty good shape.
Well what happened? Work took over as I focused more on real estate. Golf replaced playing ball. Poker replaced exercise. Nice dinners and beverages added onto the pounds. So after Hurricane Irma destroyed my building, my business slipped a bit, my personal life went south, and my mom’s health was deteriorating…you know, life? I was 57 and out of shape, alone and feeling sorry for myself. So what did I do?
I went to the beach and started walking. It felt good……
The next morning I did it again and it felt better…..
Then I started watching the sun rise……
Sometimes I would walk with friends……..
I can’t thank Crystal Cooper, Renee Crutchfield, Andrea Lehman, Jessica DeLeo and the rest of my sisters who walked and talked with me…….also my brothers Scott Garmon and Joe Lopke.
I would think about how lucky I am with two beautiful daughters Grace and Olivia who are so smart and funny.
I started seeing the same people on the beach, some with their dogs, some with their partners, walking talking and or jogging. What I noticed is that everyone seemed to be in a great mood and everyone always said hello with a smile.
After about 140 straight days of walking I lost over 30 lbs.
I will never forget the personal trainer, Annie Merjos Hacker who is in tremendous shape, jogging by and telling me I looked great!
What I am trying to say is no matter how bad things are or get, we are so lucky to live by the ocean. Get out there and if you can’t in the morning do it in the evening. I know that since I have gotten back to being close to the ocean my business has picked up, I feel better, look better and even have a new girl in my life! Happy Valentines Day Vanessa and all of you too!
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