The kick-off for my birthday this morning was a run with my oldest; the baby came along for a free ride in the jogger stroller. It wasn't very long ago that my running buddy was in the stroller himself. Then he was big enough for a scooter, and we'd head out on the bike trail so that I could run (and walk) right along with him, my hand on his back as a support when he braved the hills. Next, he learned to ride a two-wheeler. He'd zoom on ahead, but stop to wait as I sprinted to keep up. I'd still grab those handles with him when the incline increased, and we'd push on to the top together. This morning, we ran side-by-side on one of the hillier trails of Teacher Town. We huffed our way up and down those hills together. Instead of my hand on his back, he put a hand on the stroller handle to push it for me.
When our destination came within sight, I said, "Let's sprint to the end."
"Nah," he said, but then he picked up the pace and sprinted on ahead. There was no way I'd catch up to him, his longer legs achieve a much broader stride then mine. As long as we were headed toward the same place, I was fine.
What an excellent meditation on your birthday! Great post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reflection of time passing as you describe your son's growing years. I'd like to try the same myself.
ReplyDelete"Instead of my hand on his back, he put a hand on the stroller handle to push it for me."
ReplyDeleteThis line is the deal-breaker for me...the one that made me reach for my tissue so I could finish typing this comment. What a beautiful post and journey through so many moments shared together.
I worry about writing about my kids so much on my "teacher" blog and yet, reading posts like this - it's these moments that we have to capture. Thanks for sharing...and Happy Birthday! :)
Lovely.
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