It is so important for parents to have their own outlet. Mine is running too! Maybe we should start a newsletter about thinking thorough writing plans while running. I think there are a few of us on substack.
Great post, both the writing and the thoughts! I started to run in 2012, in my fifties. It has changed my life and partly redefined who I am. Earlier, I’d only run if I had to grab a cab on a rainy night. And then barely. At the private school I attended in the UK where I grew up, running was, literally, a punishment. The first time I ran two miles as an adult — accompanied for moral support by my then 9-year-old son on his bicycle — I recall feeling I still needed to get my wind back an hour or two later. I’ve now run around 70 half marathons, but my best have been the ones with my kids. So the last couple of sentences in your post really resonated!
The wife and I discovered something similar. If I missed my badminton session (once a week), I am a much worse person to be around with throughout the week. Now she makes it her mission to get me to play badminton weekly.
I loved, loved, loved this, Kevin (and Jeremy!)
It is so important for parents to have their own outlet. Mine is running too! Maybe we should start a newsletter about thinking thorough writing plans while running. I think there are a few of us on substack.
Great post, both the writing and the thoughts! I started to run in 2012, in my fifties. It has changed my life and partly redefined who I am. Earlier, I’d only run if I had to grab a cab on a rainy night. And then barely. At the private school I attended in the UK where I grew up, running was, literally, a punishment. The first time I ran two miles as an adult — accompanied for moral support by my then 9-year-old son on his bicycle — I recall feeling I still needed to get my wind back an hour or two later. I’ve now run around 70 half marathons, but my best have been the ones with my kids. So the last couple of sentences in your post really resonated!
The wife and I discovered something similar. If I missed my badminton session (once a week), I am a much worse person to be around with throughout the week. Now she makes it her mission to get me to play badminton weekly.
That "good enough" comment at the end of the article felt like a tease for an upcoming article... Hopefully?
Loved the topic, many échos to my own story. Thanks for sharing.