When I was young, there were many times when me and my 3 siblings were all in the back seat of the car that little battles over space would crop up. This was especially true when one of us was suffering from an extreme case of motion sickness. Since all 4 of us were prone to this, everyone would scoot as far away from the ailing sibling as possible so as not to suffer the same fate. Vomiting *is* contagious you know.
Even during times of peace, boundary lines were being drawn. These lines were not always determined fairly, meaning bickering would start up, then my mom’s hand would fly back and her pinching fingers would blindly reach for any bit of skin they could attack. Most often, the two in battle were not who ended up suffering the ill-fated pinch. Crying ensued. Name calling followed.
Today, the battle over space was similar but different. Instead of children drawing boundary lines it was my toes that were battling for a little distance from each other. These toes, who have each been segregated into their own separate spaces (provided by my Vibram fivefingers), were left without boundaries. Just as us kids fought over space, my toes began a similar sort of bickering. I’m pretty sure I heard one of them whining, “He’s touching me.” *sigh*
It was a shoe-wearing run day and I was just happy to be able to let off a bit of steam mid-work day. My right calf was happy and my left knee was warming up to the idea of running again. My toes would just have to learn to get along in the same space. Michael Jackson sung in my ear, “…don’t stop ‘till you get enough.” So I forged on.
Everyone got quiet for a bit. Perhaps they were fearful that I’d reach down and pinch one of them or maybe ALL of them. The thought certainly crossed my mind.
All was peaceful until…I decided to extend my run a ½ mile further. It was then that the arches of my feet got all read in the face as if to say, “Why aren’t we there YET?!” Resisting the urge to run past the office, I decided I had indeed had enough. Now, everyone is happy – including me.
So funny, I remember these times well!!