Taking the Stairs

Late last week, a colleague and I were leaving the our building. As with most multi-level structures, there are two main methods for reaching the street level - the stairs and the elevator. He opted for the elevator; I took the stairs. When we met again two floors lower, he grumbled something about my good knees allowing me to tackle 50 stairs.

His self-deprecating mumble triggered an interesting revelation. Over the last five years, I've worked with a main core of about 10 guys. Of those, four men would be considered by many to be...umm...husky. One gentleman lost probably 40-50 pounds in the last two years, spurred by a diabetes diagnosis. A second man has had serious back issues and multiple back surgeries. A third co-worker currently has some back problems, walks gingerly, and struggles with stairs. A fourth, the man noted in the opening paragraph, apparently has some knee and wrist problems.

I'm neither a paragon of health nor without my ailments, but my less bulky colleagues and I can generally handle physical tasks that are tough for at least three of our co-workers. This is a very general, black-and-white overview of a small group, but I find it interesting to note the clear weight/ailment delineation in this one office.