Both of my children are runners. Something I did many years ago. When you ran in a basic cotton t-shirt and shorts with sneakers from Penny's. Now, the kids have special "running shoes" that you can design on Nike.com. (well, not my kids, but many others) They have shirts that are made of special materials that allow you to sweat and it instantly dries, while allowing your body to "breathe" and the price tag makes you think there is certainly gold in there somewhere. It is amazing how things have changed! My children do not want to hear how times were then. The picture on the left is my daughter running the two mile for high school track and field. She loves distance running and can go forever. I'm lucky to be able to run to my car and back. The picture on the right is my son and my grandmother. No, my grandmother did not run, although she probably could have. My son ran a mile road race and finished second in his age group. Maybe some day, when I have nothing else to do, I'll pull out the old cotton shirt, slip on the old addidas sneakers and go for a run around the block.....
Pam,
ReplyDeleteI think you are on to something here for your final piece. I really like the back and forth between the then-and-now. Maybe you can ask your children what it is about running that they like so much and incorporate their answers into your piece. Or maybe you could go out for a run yourself (just a short one!) to see if you remember why you used to enjoy it. :) I love track as a sport for school aged students. I think they get the best of both worlds...there is a team element as well as a very individual element.
Your entry also made me laugh b/c a couple of weekends ago, my family was riding in the car to go spend an afternoon with friends. We drove by a group of approx. 5-6 cyclists and my husband said, "When did somebody decide that cyclists can only wear bright shirts with writing all over them? Doesn't anybody wear T-shirts anymore?" We laughed and I told him he sounded like a grumpy old man! It was all in good fun.
Good luck with your next draft.
~Julie
Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me help in starting something for my final writing. I have been very unsure of myself and intimidated by all the other pieces that I have been reading from everyone else. It has put me on the right track and I'm toying with this or a piece about all of our beach memories. I will post a brief selection and will see what everyone thinks. Which one to go with?
Pam,
ReplyDeleteHave you though about converted this piece into a poem? One stanza could be the past and the next stanza could be the present and then the last stanza could be a conversation between you and your children.
There is a lot of contrasts from then until now, is anything the same as it was when you were running? I did purchase a pair of size 12 Chuck Taylor's a couple years ago. They're as comfortable now as they were back when I was 8 and running around in them.
ReplyDelete