#126 - SH

When I was in high school, I played sports.  I never game much thought to staying in shape.  I was never one of those girls who worried about dieting and I never had to find time to exercise.  The reason that I never dieted was not because I was thin.  In retrospect, I think my parents just never really put a lot of emphasis on this.  I felt comfortable in my own skin and was never made to feel like I needed to be "skinny."  One of my dad's favorite sayings was, "Make-up and paint...make her what she ain't!"  Meaning...be yourself...don't wear too much makeup, and a smile on your face makes you more attractive than anything.

Anyway...I digress.  #126 was a softball teammate of mine who was equally uninterested in eating salads and denying ourselves sunflower seeds, bubble gum, and cokes after a big win!  We were concerned with winning.  The funny thing is that she had the physique of an athlete.  Strong and thin and the thing that got her this way was practice.  She practiced all the time.  Her parents took her to extra coaching to come a great pitcher...which she was.  I remember her as a great teammate and a good friend.

When her name came up today, I kinda chuckled to myself.  I don't think she reads my blog and I really haven't seen her in years.  The last time I did see her however... ahem...let me just say that it was obvious that she did not "practice" as much anymore.  For the majority of us, our metabolism slows with age...We can no longer eat whatever we want and not see the effects.  I'm sure she...like me...now knows what it is to choose a salad instead of a hamburger and fries...a diet coke instead of a coke...and to have to schedule in exercise instead of doing it for the joy of being outside and working towards a state championship.  We now exercise to keep our hearts healthy, our lungs strong, and our cholesterol down.  I'm sure she looks back on those pictures from back in the day...like me and remembers running bases, batting practice, and workouts in the field house...and sometimes wishes that exercise could be that simple again.