I ran 3.40 km quite early this morning, so many things to do today. Ice-crystals crunched under my feet. My path was much used by deer in the night or early morning, it seemed to me from all the cloven hoof-prints on the snowy path, almost as if a whole bunch of deer had run my circuit!
As children avoid the lines on sidewalks, so I avoided mouse-highways, which criss-crossed my path every few feet, especially in the vicinity of Refrigerator Corner. And there were the tiny little mouse footprints, after sprinting through their snow tunnels which suddenly became half-pipes as they spewed out on to the path.
I drifted through the soft light for twenty-six minutes, crunch crunch, thoughts flying through the air, sadness hovering around me, like my own personal dark cloud. 7.38 minutes per km.
It was strange to drive the boys around again today, as their car was at the garage being fixed. I took them to work at the Y, and, having finished what I set out to do in that town, I went in to wait for them, with about 20 minutes left of their last swim-lesson of the day.
It is amazing to watch your own kids teach others, to realise that they are completely grownup, to see how sweetly they interact with the little ones, what fun the children have, how simple it all is really, and yet how complex a skill, learning to swim, something they will know the rest of their lives.
What competent boys they are, sensitive to the feelings of these small swimmers. When one of Nick's skinny little kids tried to dive off the starting block and did a complete belly-flop, Nick winced as it happened, and then jollied the kid when he came up, making light of it, so that by the time the little boy got to the side he was laughing, and willing to try again! And Matthew helped all the kids in his group put on bright orange life-preservers, after which he taught them how to get into a boat, then put the boat on the actual water, asked them to get in in the safe way he had taught them, then dove in and pulled them around like a sea-monster, so that they giggled and squeaked, until he persuaded each of them to leap into the water and swim to "shore". I was standing there watching through the window, my heart just glowing with pride inside this mother's body.
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