I had the pleasure of running a 5k with my kids last weekend. Though I’ve never stopped running, I hadn’t ran a competitive race in years, so I was pretty pumped. While standing around waiting for the race to begin, one of my 6th grade students that I have for PE every week walks by.
I reached out and touched her arm. “Hey, Grace, are you gonna kill this?”
Wide eyed, she looked at me like the boogieman had touched her. “Do I know you?”
I laughed. “It’s me, your PE teacher.”
“Oh…” She narrowed her eyes, studying me closer. “You look…different.”
This young girl is one of the nicest ones in the school, so I know she wasn’t trying to be mean. Her “different” comment still stabbed at my vain heart. I’m pretty sure it bled all the way down the hill too. I’m not a big fan of makeup while I work out, but maybe I need to reconsider if I look that “different” when I’m not wearing it. Ugh, getting old stinks.
Janelle Evans 