“Hey, Jaimito, do you want to race in the park today? I’ll kick your butt.” You gotta talk smack with the little boys lest they get too uppity. “Think you can beat me, Jaimito?”
It’s been fun racing with the kids in park. It’s amazing how fun something as a simple foot race can be. It’s invigorating, healthy, and makes me feel like a little kid again. It’s beautiful to experience the sublime pleasure of racing toward the branches of a leafy tree in the distance. Jaimito is fast though. The first time we raced, I actually had to try to beat him. Yikes, this little eight-year-old is going to be kicking me to the curb before too long. I need to lose a few pounds if I am to have any hope. We have since made running in the park part of our ritual. I’ve gotten steadily faster, I’m happy to say, as I’ve lost a few pounds and my legs have gotten stronger and more accustomed to sprinting.
Jaimito responded to my gentle taunt, “Yeah, Daddy, you probably will win.”
“Ohhhh! Jaimito, that’s no attitude. You have to believe you can win. If you give up before you start, you will surely lose.” He was quiet, so I continued. “Don’t you want to win?”
“Meh,” he responded with a shrug.
“Oh come on, Jaimito, you’re just worried that you’re going to lose and don’t want to pretend you care. I see through you. Don’t you want to win?”
Jaimito thought for a second and responded “No, it’s not that, Daddy. I just like to run.”