Charging Bull
Pandemic walks inspire a journey to strength and food
During the pandemic, we decided to do a gut renovation of our apartment and ended up living in a hotel just off Broadway in downtown Manhattan. It was stressful. Like New York City vampires at night, we’d roam the streets to feel alive. We found a stone bench near South Street Seaport where we could remove our masks and pretend to have a normal conversation about the day, even though nothing was normal at all. Then we’d put them back on and return to the hotel, glancing over our shoulders at the empty streets.
To feel less isolated, we took another route down Broadway, where we inevitably passed the Charging Bull—a symbol of American resilience. Many nights, I'd see this bull when we weren’t on our Seaport walk. But seeing it alone, without crowds, was an eerie rarity. In my mind’s eye, I saw the constant hordes of tourists clamoring to snap photos with the bull, gripping its horns or private parts well-worn from years of attention.
Eventually, the vaccines came, and renovation ended. But by then, the bull had transformed into a symbol for me that had nothing to do with Wall Street. The bull was strong, fierce, ready to take on whatever came its way. Back slightly arched, feet ready to charge, eyes trained on where it wanted to go. And over time, I began to think: my god, that’s it. The bull. It wouldn’t surrender on those dark, hollow nights. It became a powerful emblem of wellness, life, food, and exercise. I took it to heart.
I’ve been told repeatedly to eat well, exercise, and get sleep. We all do what we can for each of those. But as I age, this advice has felt increasingly lacking. I need specifics. Let’s start with food.
As we age, it’s essential to get down to brass tacks: precisely what is going on that plate? Where did the food come from? Is it well-prepared or loaded with sauces that we could do without? And for goodness’ sake, am I starting my day with some vegetables, protein, fat, and carb—and repeating that at lunch and dinner to cover all the bases?
This discipline requires the strength of the Charging Bull because the American diet—which includes sugary cereals, starchy muffins, and boxed and packaged foods with unpronounceable ingredients—is often out of sync with our best health. Breakfast, for example, should be nutritious, filling, and energizing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean toast with butter, a stack of pancakes with fruit, or a big muffin made with refined sugar.
On those cold walks, I internalized a personal message: the bull is a deep dive within. It can be that for you, too, if you’d like. We each have the inner power to choose and eat well. That said, inflation is acutely present at the grocery store. However, hopefully, we can still find decent vegetables, good proteins like turkey, chicken, or beef, healthy fats like avocado and nuts, and carbs like whole-grain bread within our budgets.
Revitalizing our bodies with good food strengthens us and allows us to hop on our Charging Bull of life. Holding onto the horns, we can say to ourselves: I eat strategically, nourishing myself with good foods, sequencing them, starting with the vegetables—now, what’s next?
Exercise, yes—walking, treadmill, or whatever suits you. What choices are you making there? You’re in control, like the Charging Bull, eyeing your target, ready to charge forward into life’s next challenges.
So grab onto the Charging Bull’s horns—no need to be in New York to do that!—and steady yourself, knowing you have the power within to be the absolute best you can be. Food is a major factor in that. It’s all up to you!
This doesn’t mean we aim to become triathletes or master chefs tomorrow (I have a long way to go on the latter!), but rather that we eat consciously and try to be all we can be. If the brave old bull alone during the pandemic were alive, I think that’s what he would tell us.
