My most prestigious sporting achievement was being picked for the netball team that magnificently lost 26-0 and I considered cross country merely an opportunity to sneak a sly fag. Fortunately I never got caught tucking my fags into my green gym knickers due mainly to my invention of the innovative 'anti rattle match box'. My next project may be a book entitled '100 Things You Never Thought Of Doing With Loo Roll'.
Everyone I know who 'runs' extol its virtues in particular the endorphin high which they claim is what makes it addictive.Whilst the idea of being addicted to something that's 'good for you' appeals on a certain level, it just doesn't sound right and a little voice in my head is whispering 'don't do it you've already got enough addictions'.
Many evenings are spent in the car collecting children from various after school activities. In an attempt to drown out the children who are trying to murder each other in the back I often absorb myself in my surroundings. From these musings, I have two consistent observations, I have never seen a 'happy' runner ever and everybody walking a dog in the rain looks 'miserable' - always. These two observations have served me well in justifying my lack of exercise and most importantly why I won't let the children have a dog!
The problem is you reach an age where you have to start taking your health a bit more seriously and you become far more aware of your own mortality. I'm not sure exactly when it happens, I just know that one day I looked in the mirror and was shocked that the image staring back at me wasn't nineteen anymore! I should have been prepared for this event as I had been forewarned, as a small child about the 'mirror, mirror moment' by my maternal grandmother. This child just presumed that my elderly relatives had always looked that way and never once considered they had been young or even children themselves until I hit teenage years.
When I became interested in the old family photo's I marvelled at how attractive they had once been, briefly reflected on how sad it was they didn't look like that anymore but still never fully grasped that this too would actually happen to me.
Whilst I have not hit 'proper crinkly' yet, I do find myself, on observing groups of young people, fascinated by their beauty, wishing I had the ability to 'bottle it and flog it, because I'd be minted'. What I find most alluring is the fact that many 'youngsters', in fact, most, are completely unaware of their beauty and the power over the world they possess.
Retrospect is a great thing. I know as a young adult I didn't see it either, took it for granted and was unaware of the positives. I focused on the unimportant imperfections, unable to see the big picture. I have no one to blame for that other than myself as I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who loved me and 'celebrated' all of me, even the elements of me that got on their every last nerve. If I appear melancholy, I apologise, that's not my intention. I am happy with who I am, if you like me - great: if you don't that's okay too, I won't lose any sleep as long as you're not giving me a hard time. If I had one regret in life so far though, it would be that I didn't adopt this attitude when I 'had it all going on'.
I have always considered doing 'Life In Reverse' an interesting concept, perhaps we would be more appreciative of life and ourselves in general. If you found these ramblings food for thought and need an excuse to procrastinate then I encourage you to watch 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' . It really is time for me to 'sign off' now as I've started giving you homework!
Image Credit Flickr User Coryaldus