Reality Check

Daphne, her sister, and a friend ran the Hot Chocolate Race at Principal Park last Sunday. Charlotte and I came along for support, and Char eventually decided to run in the children's fun run.

I've written about this before, but I'll repeat that I used to be a runner. Taking time off from the sport gave me more time with my family, but my wheels got rusty. I've tried to reboot my training, but my knee isn't going along with the plan. I believe my running days are over.

Daphne's been getting up at 5:00 a.m. to do her training runs, and Charlotte doesn't even know that Mom is gone. Daphne earned every step she ran on race day. I wasn't jealous of her. I was jealous of everyone else, though, if that makes sense. It was really hard for me to hear the starter pistol and then walk away in the opposite direction.

Since Mom's race was at 9:00, and Char's run was at 10:00, Char and I had some time to hang out. I didn't feel like cheering for anyone, so I entertained her by looking for things to pose with.

We're still excited about the Cubs' win!

We found some sidewalk chalk, so we scribbled on the pavement for awhile.

Someone had placed a cat face sticker on the stadium, and since that's graffiti, I didn't feel guilty about peeling it off. I have no idea if the cat sticker has a hidden meaning, but I thought the face was funny. I suggested that we could put it on Mom's car as a joke.

I wanted to put the sticker somewhere discrete, but Char insisted that cat face should be placed on Mom's front hood. For the record, Daphne didn't mind, and the cat's still there.



Posing with statues is always fun.

What my pictures can't share with you is that Charlotte held my hand while we encircled the stadium.  We teased each other by bumping hips. We sang songs and changed the lyrics at the other's expense. Char would "hide", and I'd be "scared" when she jumped out. The sun was bright and my daughter's giggles danced around our heads before floating into the sky.

It's too bad that I was feeling too sorry for myself to appreciate the magic.

While I was going through the motions and the runners were passing us by, I stopped to read this plaque.

I didn't know Christopher's story until I read his father's words.

I felt like a character in an old Looney Tunes cartoon that looks at his reflection and realizes that he's been acting like a heel.

Michael Gartner's words were my mirror on Sunday, and I thank him for that. I was concentrating on the race that I was missing instead of the gift that I was holding. How could I be so unappreciative? How many people are out there who'd love to spend time with their happy and healthy kid? 

I wiped the tears from my eyes and gave my daughter an unexpected hug.

"Dad!" she howled in embarrassment, "What was that for?"

"Oh, nothing. I just love you." I bent down and looked Char in the eye, "You know, Mom should be finishing soon. Let's see who can get to the finish line first and start cheering." Char snickered and sprinted off before I could move. 

I followed, but I wasn't in a rush. I was already a winner.