I think our children are often our hope

Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child

I am a creative mind but one that is trapped on all sides by the limits of my personality. I get frustrated because there is a lot of activity taking place inside of me but it's locked in by the rigid demands of my character. Nowhere is this more apparent than in my running. I love to run and I find expression in it but I also limit myself to the familiar and the rote, I have very little spontaneous flexibility with distance or location. I am intimate and happy on my local trails and find security in them.
I think our children are often our hope. The life that springs from our loins often seems to have more energy and impact when allowed to develop with freedom than the source. My middle son is a classic example, full of questions, zest and a love of quest. Most importantly he is blessed with a free spirit.
Already at ten he is focused, determined, ambitious and pushing at his boundaries.
Last week end I took him for his first real trail run that included a river crossing, some ascent and lots of mud. We ran 3.5 miles on my local and familiar trails, he fell twice and both times he came up laughing. I hope he chooses to run with me again and that running with him will become a habit in the years to come, I need to make the most of the opportunities I have with him and my other kids before their horizons pull them far far away.