An enduring, indelible high school memory…

I had a favorite teacher in high school. We all do. Someone we feel comfortable around, someone who encourages us or makes us feel better than we do about ourselves. Even so, I remember thinking she was weird as hell for running around and around our outdoor track, seemingly every day. It might not have been every single day but my memory has warped to believe it was.

I’d be at lunch, walking around the campus with my friends and there she inevitably was. With snotty, derisive snorts, someone would point out that she was running … again. It was Tucson and it was HOT. Why run?!

We failed to see her because of our youthful naiveté. She was an older women (younger than we are now, by the way) and had a trim, muscular body most of us bitches would currently sell our left tit for. We didn’t see that. As much as I liked her, even I thought her running was ridiculous. It didn’t make sense to our invincible teenage brains.

I regret that arrogance and stupidity.

Ms. G, I think of you every single time I tie my running shoes. 💋