“I wonder if this will do? It’s so hot I definitely want a cool top. These workout shorts only come in black and grey, but I guess they may be slenderizing.”

I decided that my water aerobics and walking were good, but if I really wanted to get back the strength and flexibility I desired, then a personal trainer was in order. So I was shopping to at least look the part when I went for my first training session in the afternoon. I didn’t really know what to expect, but the trainer I chose was a beautiful Christian woman whom I had total confidence in.

I huffed and puffed, twisted and writhed my way into the exercise shorts, wondering how I would make it at the gym since I had already broken a sweat! Seriously, I knew that anything worth doing takes effort, so I steeled my mind to get this work done with a good attitude.

My instructions were to work on the treadmill for 10 minutes or so before I met with Jennifer. I thought she would take it easy on me at least for a session or two, so I went into the gym with confidence. I easily found an empty treadmill, and went to work. Believe me; this was only the lull before the storm.

When that sweet little Jennifer stepped from her office she suddenly morphed into a cross between Wonder Woman and a drill sergeant — with the emphasis on drill sergeant. It was such a transformation I was reminded of the mild-mannered Clark Kent when he burst out as Superman. After 30 minutes of severe torture, I pulled myself up from the floor, wondering if my legs could make it to the parking lot.

I guzzled two bottles of water on the drive home, thinking this was one way to make sure to drink enough water. Absolutely every exercise I attempted was challenging, but some were worse than others. A couple of times I thought there was no way I could continue, but with Jennifer’s insistence I did more than I had in a very long while.

She pushed me harder and farther than I thought I could go, and after taking a few minutes to catch my breath I felt a real sense of accomplishment. I parked the car and walked in the drizzling rain to trim the dead branches from the drought-stricken river birches that we had recently planted.

Though Mike and I had pulled the hose around front and watered and watered, these plants needed a little something extra. A gentle rain had been falling for hours, and I could see the thirsty plants coming to life again. I seem to always draw a little wisdom from the garden, and today was no different.

Just as my trees needed a little something extra to help them thrive, so did I. And the extra push and encouragement from Jennifer was exactly what I needed.

Jan Penton Miller can be reached at lilsisjan@yahoo.com.