Undaunted

“Come on, let’s race Mom! Ready, set, go!”

The girls are off and all I see is a blur of their long hair flying behind them and their legs stretching across the grass to our destination. I’m not even going to try to win and I slow down to a walk and watch and smile. I sit on the park bench and watch them swing and slide and cross the monkey bars. Where do that get their energy? I wonder. Thirty minutes later they’re racing back to the van.

Back at home the dance and twirl and jump off the couch. I lay on the couch and really want to get my hand on their elusive energy. I day dream about all things I could get done in a day if I had a quarter of their energy. My mind wanders and ponders the nature of energy (which could be why I don’t get everything done I need!). What is energy? This invisible force that makes my children laugh and run, lights up my house and powers the engine in my van? It is a mystery to me. I’m sure it really can’t be contained in one of those little bottles of “energy drink” they sell at the gas station. Although, there are days when I might be willing to give it a try!

According to Dictionary.com, energy is “The strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity” or “A feeling of possessing such strength and vitality.” The physicist’s definition at Northwestern say energy is “the ability to do work, and work is moving something against a force, like gravity.”

Ok, it’s still a mystery to me what energy actual consists of. I just know my girls have more of it than I do! I’m sure if I ate better, sleep more and exercised consistently, I’d have more of that wonderful elixir, but I just don’t have the energy:)  What I need now is motivation!

What about you? Do you have a lot of energy?