(An ode to my older daughter)
The first time I saw you
I thought
Perfection
Your stand up hair
Your knowing eyes
Your pouty lips
Your teddy bear belly
Your crinkled toes
Your peaceful breathing
I made you
(With help of course!)
I grew you
As I continue to watch you
In wondrous
Perfection
You hold me
You teach me
You admire me
You humble me
You forgive me
You better me
I am broken
I am healed
With each First Time
You remind me
You are already
Perfection
I should just stand back
And watch
©️iido 2018
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My older daughter joined me for a group run with my MRTT chapter. It was her first time running with me and my running friends. One of the other moms also brought her daughter (which is what inspired my daughter to join us). While this run was more of a walk, it was refreshing to see this route – that I had run many times before – through my daughter’s eyes.
I remember running in high school gym class. You needed to run a mile in under 20 minutes. We ran the laps indoors. I was the last one to come in at 19 minutes. And I collapsed on the floor when I crossed the finish line. One of the other students (Rob H – whatever happened to him?) came over to see if I was ok. I felt like I was going to die – from exertion and embarrassment.
I hope my daughter will never have to experience the Double E. Right now, she doesn’t absolutely love running (lol – in fact, her runs are more like “walking with some short running intervals”) but she is not daunted by running. I can see her getting stronger (in body and mind) and that sense of accomplishment at this age is priceless. The first time I realized that I could overcome the Double E was in my late 20s when I actually trained and ran my first 5k.
They say you never forget your first time – first run, first race, first PR. What running first do you remember? Was it a happy, sad or maybe even a double E memory? I’m looking forward to more runs with my daughter. She is my inspiration!!
