Me: Hey, do you guys want to run with me tomorrow?
PC#3: How far are you going ... (fearing the answer, and ready to decline)
Me: Three miles. (Like, duh, I wouldn't ask if it were longer because I only try to sucker Dad.)
PC#3: (all perked up) Oh, then, yes!
(PC#2 non-verbally agreeable from the get-go with no stipulations.)
And, then there was this morning.
Before I go on, I will note that when we plan a morning run, if there's a cranky runner, I'm the one. Both kids have always been very eager to go, and Aaron hides any grumblies he might have.
PC#3 could not have been less interested in joining me. He didn't want to say so, but it was all over his face. And his lack of movement. And his lack of finding his shoes. And his high need to rethink his clothes just in case he was going to be too warm (can't have that) or too cold (really can't have that). And is lack of ability to find his hat. And his immediate need to have some yogurt to make sure there's something in his stomach.
I'm just sayin' it was a pretty painful 15 minutes. He knows it, too, it's not like it's a secret.
It's especially not a secret because I knew what was going on the entire time. It's not like I haven't been there dancing to the same music with different words many, many times. In fact, somewhere around 4 in the morning when I needed to go to the bathroom, I thought about having to run in a few hours and though it was the dumbest idea I've ever had. So, I had some remarkable patience waiting for him because I knew he was about to experience something as a kid that it took me a few years to learn as an adult: By walking through the immediate pain, he was going to end up feeling awesome.
Spoiler alert: He totally did!
We all managed to get ourselves out the door (including a dog who could not get out the door fast enough! I think she might have had her desire and stole PC#3's!), and it took less than a half mile before I had not one but two perky humans (Elly: already perky) along with me for the run! I watched him and saw the transformation on his face, the spring come to his step and listened as he started talkingtalkingtalking -- always a sign of his happy!
That's the thing about exercise that everyone tells you and no one wants to believe unless you've experienced it yourself: You actually feel better once you get going! Even though this moment of exuberance doesn't last, and there will be other cranky moments, at least he now has something from which to draw in those I-so-don't-feel-like-it moments!
We all had an awesome run:
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| Nothing like dodging the snow remnants! It was something like dodging a meteor shower, I'm just sure of it. |
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| Oh, Elly ... looking way more proper and refined than that spaz-attack run she just put on!! |
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