Tiptoes

We were getting ready to line up for lunch today when Hannah's tears started flowing. I saw it coming...eyes squinched up, cheeks turning red, and drops forming. Then they came rolling. If you weren't looking, you would have no idea that a child was crying in my classroom, for they were silent, but terrified tears. I squatted in front of her desk and probed.

"What's going on, Hannah?" I quietly asked.

"Ummm...my head feels reeeeaaally itchy and I think I have LICE! Ireallydon'twantlice!!!" darling little Hannah blurted out. These were authentic concerns and genuinely terrified tears.

I checked her out and reassured her that I could spot nothing in her hair that didn't belong there. I told her it must be an itchy scalp or a bug bite. Sometimes the best thing to do is to try really hard and ignore it, I mentioned.

Time passed, and so did the itchy scalp.

The same Hannah ran up to me at recess later in the afternoon, and excitedly announced while bounching on her tiptoes: "Guess what??? There's an alpaca farm nearby and it's so cool!! And guess what...theyaregoingtohaveanopenhouseon
myBIRTHDAYbecausethat'swhentheirbabiesaregoingtobeborn!!!! Can you believe it???"

From head lice to alpaca farms, tears to tiptoes...don't you just love the resiliency of children?

If you're in the area in a few weeks, I hear that there's going to be quite some Open House at our local alpaca farm (who knew?!)

Holding Back

By mile four I knew there was no way I could compensate for lost time. Nonetheless, I picked up my pace a bit. Mile five...I just won't be able to make it by my goal. I had hoped to finish the Monument Avenue 10K in one hour (hey, I'm a novice according to my training schedule!); I raced across the finish line in 1:02. Bummer. I really think I could have had it. It was a gorgeous day, couldn't ask for better. I felt great the entire race. No fatigue, no pain. What was it, then? Was I holding back? I think I could have increased my pace earlier, but there was a voice, "If you push it too hard now, you might run out of juice later." Well, the last thing I wanted was to run out of JUICE!

It reminds me of other times in my life that I've held something back for fear of running out. There was the time I had a package of grape Bubblicious gum (almost nothing could top this when I was eight) stashed in my top drawer. I was down to one piece left. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to enjoy that one last piece. I really believed it could have been my last opportunity to savor the sweet deliciousness of that grape goodness. (I wonder if it's still up there!) What was the big deal? Certainly I could have bought another package of $0.50 bubble gum.

On the other hand, there was the time I decided to study abroad during college. In order to fund this experience, I basically had to liquidate nearly every last penny in my savings account. My SAVINGS account! This had funds in it from my sixth birthday and from the tooth fairy!! This was a BIG deal! But I did it. And that was probably the best way I could have spent it. I didn't hold back this time.

I'd like to think I could be the person that didn't think twice about pushing forward and didn't worry about running out. Maybe that's not a bad thing all the time. Nevertheless, the next 10K I do, I will finish it in an hour or less and I'll be chewing grape Bubblicious gum the entire way.