How I want to live, or Pet the dog

We finally made it to one of Owen’s cross-country meets.  Between flooding and illness, we’ve missed three.

Jonah and Moriah were freezing.  There had been ice on my windshield, but the grass wasn’t frozen.  Crisp air, trees still full.  The sunshine was beautiful but not very warm.

The middle schoolers ran first, a full 5K.  Then the 8 & unders ran a 2K before the 9 & 10s ran a 3K.

My favorite (after Owen, of course) was one of the very last little kids, a girl with ribbons in her pigtails and pink mittens on.  She was running all out, far behind the rest of the field.  She was going for it.

Until she saw dad and her dog, and she stopped.  She patted the dog on the head and leaned in to let him lick her face.  Then she sprinted to the end.

This is how I want to live my life: run all out, until I see my dog.  Stop, pat, get licked.  Then put my heart in it till the end, even if I’m nowhere near the “winners”.