(#11) Marathon Kids Finisher Medal Celebration (March 22, 2014) – Part 1 (I Hated Gym… Marathon Kids Benefits Kids Like The One I Was)

April 8, 2014

I love everything.

I am finding out about so many cool organizations that I had no idea existed through this adventure of my 52 volunteer activities.

I’m also finding out about so many problems I didn’t realize were such problems. So, that’s a bummer. First, I learned about libraries being shut down in school. Now I heard more about physical education being cut in many Los Angeles schools.

I’ll admit, as a kid, I would’ve loved that. I was always complaining, “uuuuggghhhh but why do we have to run a mile? How is this possibly going to help me in life? Why in the world would we be doing insane things like having gym class when we could be off doing creative endeavors like singing and playing our instruments? This is the biggest waste of time I can think of.”

Now, in child-me’s defense, from what I remember, gym class did sort of seem like a waste. There was a bunch of game playing (such as dodgeball) that didn’t really require that you be all that active. Could you be active in a game of dodgeball? Sure. Could you also apathetically stand there until someone hits you? Of course. Is that basic idea true of any sport? Yeah, probably pretty much.

Is it time to stop asking questions just to answer them? I’d say so.

The point is, I think I perhaps would’ve cared more about physical fitness had there been an end goal. I was always very competitive. So, if we were logging miles, I probably would’ve wanted to log the most, or log them before anyone else did, or do whatever sort of “winning” I decided was important.

I mean, we can’t say for sure… But I did always make sure to read more books when we logged those and all that jazz. And I always did more math problems so I could move ahead on that little board… I was always trying to win… except in gym.

It was the only class I wasn’t competitive in… For one thing, I knew I’d never beat anybody (Does it totally surprise you that the girl who didn’t believe in gym class was completely out of shape?) And I didn’t understand the importance of it all. And if I didn’t deem something important as a kid, then it was over! I had two modes – this matters a LOT, or this doesn’t matter.

And perhaps you can’t really impart on kids the importance of food and exercise… Maybe they’re all stubborn like I was. Maybe healthy living is just uncool and doesn’t make any sense to kids.

But if healthy living can be made to make sense, and be cool (and can’t it be, since anything in this world is possible?), then Marathon Kids is doing it!

That thing I just said I wish I’d had in school that maybe, just maybe, could’ve excited the girl who hated gym – that was Marathon Kids!

So, I was absolutely stoked to work with them – which is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

I'd love to hear from you! So whaddya say?