Today, while grading journal entries- I stumbled upon this entry. I had given the kids the prompt, "who is one person you wish you were more like? What traits do they have that you wish you could emulate?" One of my handful students, who also happens to be a struggling writer responded with this.
"If i culd be more like one person it would be god. Because, dude, that guy loves everybody. I try. But I cant."
Thanks kid, thanks for the reminder that God does love everyone, and thanks for trying.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
I would walk 500 miles, and I would jog 500 more.
Just kidding. 1000 miles would be crazy. But as it is, I've always been kind of obsessed with really track-able goals, and now I'm ready to out this one.
This school year, I'm going to run/walk/jog 500 miles.
I've run the numbers, and am sufficiently terrified. I don't actually know that I CAN run/walk/jog 500 miles in a school year- but from the numbers we've run, this goal seems to be at the intersection of crazy-ambitious, and maybe-possible.
But here's the thing about running. I started jogging in October of last year because I wanted to lose weight, and my nutritionist said it'd be good for me. (And Shirley is never wrong) And for the first month, I hated it. I hated every single step, every single side stitch, every smug high school athlete or neighbor who saw me out jogging or dying slowly on a treadmill. I hated it.
Then, in early November, it was like I passed an unmentioned milestone. Don't get me wrong I didn't drop 40lbs. I wasn't suddenly able to sprint a 5k. I still huffed and puffed, and got all red in the face. I still sometimes had to walk. I still sometimes thought my legs might spontaneously fall off. But after a month of light training (because I will probably never be a hardcore) I had stopped having a body that couldn't, and started having a body that could. I had a body that could jog a mile. I had a body that could bench press 85 lbs while giggling and cracking jokes. I had a body that could jog the stairs without pause or being winded. I had a body that could squat 100 lbs.
I had spent so long wanting a body that was skinny that I'd forgotten to celebrate having a body that can. And so in the spirit of "CAN" I will try to run/walk/jog 500 miles. Not to drop those lbs, but because my body is hugely able, and should be pushed.
This school year, I'm going to run/walk/jog 500 miles.
I've run the numbers, and am sufficiently terrified. I don't actually know that I CAN run/walk/jog 500 miles in a school year- but from the numbers we've run, this goal seems to be at the intersection of crazy-ambitious, and maybe-possible.
But here's the thing about running. I started jogging in October of last year because I wanted to lose weight, and my nutritionist said it'd be good for me. (And Shirley is never wrong) And for the first month, I hated it. I hated every single step, every single side stitch, every smug high school athlete or neighbor who saw me out jogging or dying slowly on a treadmill. I hated it.
Then, in early November, it was like I passed an unmentioned milestone. Don't get me wrong I didn't drop 40lbs. I wasn't suddenly able to sprint a 5k. I still huffed and puffed, and got all red in the face. I still sometimes had to walk. I still sometimes thought my legs might spontaneously fall off. But after a month of light training (because I will probably never be a hardcore) I had stopped having a body that couldn't, and started having a body that could. I had a body that could jog a mile. I had a body that could bench press 85 lbs while giggling and cracking jokes. I had a body that could jog the stairs without pause or being winded. I had a body that could squat 100 lbs.
I had spent so long wanting a body that was skinny that I'd forgotten to celebrate having a body that can. And so in the spirit of "CAN" I will try to run/walk/jog 500 miles. Not to drop those lbs, but because my body is hugely able, and should be pushed.
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