Captured Movement

Katherine Lane
Sep 3, 2018 · 4 min read

By Katherine Lane

Movement has always been a constant in my life. Whether it be social activities or sports or school, I was rarely straying from Newton’s law of motion. The dull morning fog was a fact in my young childhood, bathing the highway drive from San Rafael to Petaluma on our way to school from Dad’s house. Highway 101 itself is something I know by heart; every turn, bump, and dip committed to memory from ten years of driving back and forth over it daily. This constant stem of moving came from my parents and their own interpretation of racing through life. On one hand, my father taught me how to run a marathon. He taught me how to move slowly, to save my energy and do the same thing day after day and still finish the race in first place. His encouragement and firm belief has propelled me through leg after leg of my own race, teaching me to be proud and strong in the face of adversity. On the other hand, my mother taught me how to sprint. She showed me the joy of flying through my surrounding, the excitement and freedom of being spontaneous and leaping without looking. Her bright smile and helping hand gave me the ability to dance and love the life I choose to live. Their different speeds of movement have given me everything I could need to get myself where I want to go in life, wherever that may be.

My current life is still a never ending whirlwind of speeds, but there are a few moments that I can keep to myself. This small, familiar spot is a rest stop for me, a moment to pause and catch my breath before leaping back into the fray. I park my backpack here once I get home, spend thirty minutes on homework, then run off to rowing for two hours, park myself once again, and finish homework only to wake up for zero period and run off the next day. This quick pace can get overwhelming, inducing more than one panic attack on occasion, but this little rest stop I treasure. The ability to stop and take in more calms my agitated mind, giving me the peace I desperately need. I hold this calm in my heart and use it propel me into the my next adventure full throttle. In life you need to learn how to keep your pace steady, to not panic and run out of air more quickly, and this small, cozy area of safety and security is one of my spots to refuel. Embracing my life will always be a good step, but I’ll take my time and make sure I’m fully prepared first. Continuing on this race of life I’ll be keeping a tight hold of my rest stops, never skipping my moment to breathe just to get to the next finish line first.

As fast as I’ve raced through my life till now, my future is still a blurry road ahead of me, the sunlight masked by shadows and mysterious figures. But that does not mean I don’t plan on turning back and ending this marathon early. My dream is to be a teacher, to help the next generation grow and learn, eventually taking over a cleaner, kinder, more accepting world than the one they started with. To reach my dreams I know I’ll end up tripping, maybe crashing completely, but I’ll be stubborn enough to keep trying. And I will be confident in the knowledge that everyone trips sometimes; as any child knows that falling leads to walking leads to running leads to sprinting through the world around them. Just because the light is blocked doesn’t mean it’s not still there, waiting for me to pull back the curtains and bathe in its warmth. I will always be determined and brave, like my father, as well as kind and hopeful, like my mother. These qualities I took from my past will keep pushing me, urging my legs to keep pumping and reach my own finish line even when I’m aching and exhausted. My finish line is not for a very long time, but no matter what it takes I will be finishing this race of life.

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