The StairMaster
"You keep moving, Jennifer, so you can do this when you're my age."
— Zvi
Zvi
The last time I saw Zvi Danenberg, he was in his late 80's and I was just about to start law school. We first met a few years prior, in 2010, on a neighborhood street in Larkspur, CA. I was there for my weekly run up and down the Arch Street Stairs, two flights of steps connected by a small landing at the halfway point. Many locals come here to run or walk these 139 steps under the protective canopy of trees, an effective (and often kick-ass) workout that beats any sweat session in the gym. The day I met Zvi, he was in a short-sleeved royal blue polo shirt, khaki shorts, a large knee brace, and a khaki hat, slightly askew on his head. After we passed each other several times, we stopped to chat. He told me he'd been walking these stairs—on a full knee replacement—every day without fail. For years. He said he uses the railing, because “balance is the key!” He then told me that several months prior, he took his millionth step (he counts them!) and the community rallied for him. I recalled reading something about it in the paper—it was big news! Friendly and ever-present, if you exercised outside like so many Marinites, you knew him—and he knew you.
***
Today, I’m visiting Marin County after some years away. When I’m in town, I make sure to indulge in all my favorite things. This morning, it’s Equator Coffee for a light-me-up soy latte. I don’t know what they put in there, but it’s yummy—and strong (maybe it’s the woman-owned business?). Just as I’m parking, I see him: Zvi! After my initial shock and calculations (I’m very bad with numbers, but my best estimate: 96 years-old), I watch him for a moment. He’s pushing a walker—at a brisk pace—down the sidewalk. His posture is a bit more hunched than I remember, but otherwise he looks the same: blue track suit, the shape of a large knee brace visible under his pants, and, slightly tilted on top of his head: his signature khaki hat.
Arch Street Stairs, Larkspur, CA
Zvi is at the top! 6 million steps, and counting.
I get my latte to go, and when I drive back by, I see the walker parked at the base of the stairs. He’s still at it! I veer into the first empty parking spot—I have to get out and see what was going on. And there he is—all the way at the top of the stairs—already on his way back down! I run up to meet him, putting my heavy-duty mask on, and we walk down together. As always, he’s lively and conversational, happy to see me, though I seriously doubt he remembers me. Even still, he makes me feel like we’re the best of friends, familiar. He tells me how sad he is that, due to the pandemic, it's been a year since he's gone out for live classical music. He misses eating out. When we get to the bottom of the stairs, he walks over to the fanny pack he’s attached to his walker. After digging around a bit, he pulls out a folded flyer. He waves it in the air for a moment before pressing it into my hand. It’s a menu for an Indian food restaurant in San Francisco that he’s been carrying around—because it makes him happy. After he points out his favorite dishes ("Jennifer, the key to good Indian food is the sauce."), he points to his walker and says, "I walk this walker 4 miles every day. I use it because balance is the key!" He then tells me he had to run along, because "I have much more to my life than stairs and walking!"
Attitude is everything, when it comes to a healthy and active lifestyle.
Zvi does it for the JOY it brings!