Monday, May 08, 2006

Urgency of Kids


I've noticed that my kids, like all other kids, run everywhere. If I looked out and saw my kids walking around I wouldn't know what to do. It would be a toss up between being concerned that someone was sick or hurt, or being suspicious that they were about to pull off some crazy caper. Anyway I was watching them play in the yard and noticed that they don't walk from point A to point B, it's always done at a run. I don't mean a quick jog, I mean all out, low-control sprint. Apparently these kids need to get from one place to another with such urgency that they need to sprint as fast as they can to get there. If they fall or knock someone over because they are going to fast then that is a price that must be paid in order to get where your going.

This got me thinking about myself. I don't really experience that kind of urgency in my day to day life. What if I started doing that? Say, for instance, I need to go to the bank. I approach the bank, swing open the door as hard as possible and bolt inside. Imagine the looks I would get as I tried to navigate the corners of the lineup railings at break-neck speeds. This would probably raise some eyebrows around the old branch office.

Or, even better, say a coworker and I are heading down to the food court for lunch. According to kid ettiquette the proper way to react would be for both of us to run out of the office like a couple of burning spastics (pushing and shoving all the way of course) and then make a mad dash down the corridor to the food court. Upon arrival the loser would be required to complain to the food server that the other one ALWAYS gets to order first.

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