What a 75-Year-Old Couple Taught Me About Walking, Family, and Living Well

One of the unexpected things I've come to love about walking every day isn't actually the walking. It's the people. If you walk through the same neighborhood often enough, you start recognizing the regulars. You know who's out before breakfast, who always walks after dinner, and who never seems to miss a day. I even find myself giving people little nicknames. There's one guy with this huge beard that I secretly call "ZZ Walk." Every day he's out walking with who I think is his mom, who's quite a bit older than him. It's funny how complete strangers can become familiar just because you keep seeing them move through the same little part of the world.

Last night I had one of those moments that sticks with you.

There's a couple I've seen several times that has to be in their 70s, maybe even late 70s. They walk their granddaughter to the neighborhood park almost every evening. The little girl has enough energy to power the entire neighborhood. She's talking nonstop, running everywhere, climbing everything, kicking soccer balls, playing peekaboo, and generally doing what healthy four-year-olds do. What amazed me wasn't her energy. It was theirs.

These grandparents weren't sitting on a bench watching. They were running with her. They were kicking the soccer ball, climbing around the playground, laughing, chasing her, and staying completely engaged. Honestly, they were more active than most parents I see who are half their age. I hate saying that, but it's true. So many parents sit there staring at their phones while their kids entertain themselves. Meanwhile, these two grandparents were making memories.

The really cool part is they don't speak English. We couldn't have had much of a conversation if we tried. But we didn't need one.

I had Teddy with me, and he's finally starting to walk. Yesterday he took around twenty steps on his own, and now his favorite thing in the world is kicking a soccer ball. Every time he taps it with his foot he proudly says, "Kick! Kick! Kick!" It's absolutely adorable. The grandparents loved watching him, and before long their granddaughter was playing peekaboo with Teddy. None of us were really talking, but everybody was smiling. It was just one of those simple human moments that reminds you how much connection exists without saying a word.

As I drove home, I realized that moment did more for me than spending an hour online ever could. Yesterday was a huge political day, and like everyone else I could have spent hours reading opinions, arguments, and headlines. Instead, I spent my evening watching my son learn to walk and watching two grandparents who clearly treasure every minute they get with their granddaughter. I think I made the better choice.

It also got me thinking about the kind of person I want to become. If I'm lucky enough to have grandchildren someday, I don't want to be the grandfather watching from the bench. I want to be out there chasing them around the playground. I want to be kicking the soccer ball, crawling through the tunnels, and wearing myself out before they wear themselves out.

I've noticed something over the years. When I was younger and living in Maui, some of the people who inspired me most were surfers twenty years older than I was. These guys would be paddling out before sunrise in their 60s and 70s while plenty of younger people were still asleep. I'd watch them and think, "That's exactly who I want to be someday." They weren't staying young because they were lucky. They were staying young because they never stopped moving.

Ironically, I spent almost the entire last week sitting in front of my computer building promotional material for Walk Profits. By the end of the week I could actually feel my motivation slipping away. I even had AI build an entire presentation for me, and when I looked at it I hated it. It wasn't me. It sounded polished, but it didn't sound like something I'd actually say. So I threw most of it away and decided to start over from scratch in my own voice. I'd rather be imperfect and authentic than polished and forgettable.

Getting back outside reminded me why I'm building this business in the first place. Walking clears my head better than almost anything else. It introduces me to people I'd never meet otherwise. It reminds me that life is happening outside my office, outside my phone, and outside whatever project I'm obsessing over this week.

So today I just wanted to say thank you to the people who keep moving. Thank you to the grandparents running around playgrounds. Thank you to the older folks still getting their daily walks in. Thank you to the surfers who still paddle out before sunrise. And thank you to Teddy, who's reminding me every day that walking isn't just exercise. It's freedom, curiosity, connection, and maybe one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves if we simply refuse to stop moving.