Crazies 'R' Us

When I was working as a teacher, I was an absolute maniac. I rarely sat down, I ran between classes, I was, like, Hyper Lady. I know I drove other teachers crazy, but there was just so much to do. At the end of the school day, I'd be totally exhausted, of course (it's a integral part of the profession), but then my second shift would start. Being a mom. Well, I discovered that I was Good Mom when I'd squeeze in a run before picking my kids up. Just a quick 25 or 30 minutes would give me enough energy to make it to bedtime. On the days I was "too tired" I'd be Draggy Mom. It seems like a complete paradox, but running really does give you energy. "Gee, I wish I had your energy" people tell me. Well, I get wiped-out tired like everyone else, I've just learned to recharge with a run. After I'd worked as a teacher for about ten years, the school hired a woman who made me look calm. I was able to take a step back and go, wow, that woman is crazy! I loved it! She's still in education, but at a different school, and she's charging up her kids to exercise and read in October. Since the Exercise the Right to Read campaign began I've met two more "crazy people". One's in New Hampshire, one's in California. Both have so much energy that I feel like a slug! I've written about the gal in New Hampshire in previous postings, and she e-mails me from time to time with updates about what she's doing to prepare her whole county--scratch that, I bet she's influenced the whole state. She's creative and enthused and is actually going to travel with her posse of like-minded crazies to NYC to root us along on November 4th. I'm passing the Hyper Lady tiara over to her! My new "crazy" friend in California is a librarian at a high school who's run an unbelievable 86 marathons in 36 states. He's doing all sorts of innovative things to get the kids at his school running and reading in October. Prizes, competitions, challenges...he's the sort of person you know is going to get kids motivated.I'm wowed by his energy and his willingness to dive in and make things happen. Another one who makes me look like a slug! Still, when I do school visits, kids often ask me, "Are you ADD?" (The ones asking are always so hopeful sounding...like they've found a kindred spirit.) When I tell them, Uh, no, they sometimes follow up with, "Well...are you ADHD?" Still no. I'm not a coffee drinker, either. Me and coffee are, like, dangerous. What I am, is a runner.