Sunday, August 26, 2012

Motivation

I went for a bike ride this afternoon and on my way out, I passed this family of a mom, dad, and two boys maybe 8 and 4.  The youngest had training wheels, the dad seemed to spend most of his time at the front of the group stopped, looking behind at his crew, and the mom was in the back barking orders basically the entire time.  I saw this family early on my route and was surprised to see them still on the path on my way back home also.

When I came up to them the second time, I passed the Mom first (still yelling at everyone ahead of her), the youngest boy, then the oldest boy (looking bored, wanting to go faster), and the dad (stopped, turned around, listening for orders).  It wasn't until after I rode on past that their conversation sunk in and I realized what I had just heard.

The youngest boy slows and starts to get off his bike.  The mom screams, in one of the shrillest I'm-glad-my-mom-doesn't-scream-like-that voices, "keep going, Riley.  KEEP GOING!"