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Bob Parasiliti (Joe Crocetta / April 15, 2012) |
There are some sure signs that prove we are getting older.
Some are obvious. Gray hair, wrinkles and my ever-present pot belly announce that I’m not on the first trip around the track.
Then again, with the pot belly, it might actually be my first trip around the track.
Probably the most telling sign of age is eyewear — and it’s not bifocals.
As we get older, blinders are a fashion statement.
We get focused on the straight ahead and ignore peripheral objects. Most of the time, vision is trained on money, success and finishing on top.
Have you noticed how happy people have become because of the success of the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals? Die-hards have had to elbow their way to stay on the bandwagon these days.
Now the young, they have a simpler view of life. It’s a little more hip and encompassing.
That’s what happens when you look through rose-colored glasses.
The world becomes a wonderful place in that simpler approach. The biggest pressure in the world is getting a good seat on the school bus.
The simple life was on full display on Saturday during the 31st annual Washington County Public Schools Elementary Schools Cross Country Run at Eastern Elementary School.
There was no rat race on the rolling terrain around the school. It was more about the human race.
It was the fun of competing.
It was about families taking the time to come together to encourage a group of about 750 youngsters, but mostly because one of their own was a part of it.
It was a reason to drop the blinders because those with rose-colored glasses had a better view of what everything was all about.
For the old folks, there was a hook. The six races had winners and losers. It had trophies and awards. There was a pecking order of success. The players — some even wearing team colors — were making it easy to cheer and pick favorites.
But for the kids, it was nothing more than weekend recess.
The idea of competing against runners from two dozen county schools wasn’t really lost on the kids. It just wasn’t noticed.
The runs, which signified the end of a physical education cycle at each school, featured kids with a wide range of motivations while creating an interesting mix of ideas from a bunch of formative thinkers standing in the world most of us used to know.
Some are obvious. Gray hair, wrinkles and my ever-present pot belly announce that I’m not on the first trip around the track.
Then again, with the pot belly, it might actually be my first trip around the track.
Probably the most telling sign of age is eyewear — and it’s not bifocals.
As we get older, blinders are a fashion statement.
We get focused on the straight ahead and ignore peripheral objects. Most of the time, vision is trained on money, success and finishing on top.
Have you noticed how happy people have become because of the success of the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals? Die-hards have had to elbow their way to stay on the bandwagon these days.
Now the young, they have a simpler view of life. It’s a little more hip and encompassing.
That’s what happens when you look through rose-colored glasses.
The world becomes a wonderful place in that simpler approach. The biggest pressure in the world is getting a good seat on the school bus.
The simple life was on full display on Saturday during the 31st annual Washington County Public Schools Elementary Schools Cross Country Run at Eastern Elementary School.
There was no rat race on the rolling terrain around the school. It was more about the human race.
It was the fun of competing.
It was about families taking the time to come together to encourage a group of about 750 youngsters, but mostly because one of their own was a part of it.
It was a reason to drop the blinders because those with rose-colored glasses had a better view of what everything was all about.
For the old folks, there was a hook. The six races had winners and losers. It had trophies and awards. There was a pecking order of success. The players — some even wearing team colors — were making it easy to cheer and pick favorites.
But for the kids, it was nothing more than weekend recess.
The idea of competing against runners from two dozen county schools wasn’t really lost on the kids. It just wasn’t noticed.
The runs, which signified the end of a physical education cycle at each school, featured kids with a wide range of motivations while creating an interesting mix of ideas from a bunch of formative thinkers standing in the world most of us used to know.
