The Rocking Chair Test

On the road at Singer's Glen. . . (photo by Matt Armstrong).

At the awards ceremony -- photo by Butch Proctor.

Kristin Armstrong's friend Terra has an interesting guide for making decisions. "She employs the Rocking Chair Test to life's more compelling questions. She explains this as, 'When you are old and sitting in a rocking chair talking to your grandchildren, how would you want to tell the story?'" ("Mile Markers", July 17, 2008, retrieved from http://milemarkers.runnersworld.com/)

For me the question isn't such a hypothetical one. I already DO have grandchildren, and I not only think about how I will want to tell them the story, I think about how they will pass that story on. Like last weekend. . .

I ran a 5k, took second place, and a volunteer firefighter hung a medal around my neck -- something I should have been doing for him! But I wanted this medal; this department organized that race for something I strongly believed in (see earlier post). And I got it. As is my habit now, at the first opportunity, I took the medal to five-year-old Maggie and dropped it in her lap. As is HER habit, she studied the medal as if she'd never seen one before, fondly retracing each line, studying the artwork. I told her that this one was a winner's medal, not just a finisher's, and we talked about the difference. After gazing at it and studying it, she looked up at me and asked, "How many is it now?"

"Eight".

Then she jumped up, ran over to her daddy and said, "Daddy! Daddy! Look what Grammie won. And this one isn't just a finishers' medal. She WON this one!"

How would I want my granddaughter to tell my story? Just like this -- with pride and joy. I may be old. I may apply the rocking chair test. But I don't want to live in that rocking chair!