Welcome the Stranger
One day while walking the kids to school, Sean was telling me how his brand new tennis shoes allowed him to run really fast. I smiled, agreed with him, and continued schlepping Audrey's violin on my shoulder while holding the leashed dog in one hand and a dog-poop-bag in another. Sean: You know, Mama. I bet if you put on your tennis shoes and tied them really tight, you might actually be able to run. I scoffed. me: I can run! Sean: You can? me: Of course I can! You just don't see me run very much because I have all this stuff weighing me down. Sean: Oh. Yeah, (almost to himself) I just never see you run... me: I am able to run. I just choose to walk. His belief that maybe I could run if I just tried was endearing, but I suddenly felt very alien to my own child. I dropped the kids at school and as I walked home by myself, a half block from our duplex, I began to jog. I started to pick up speed, sprinting, and our dog happily raced alongside me. The air whipped...