Excerpt from The Running Dream

I AM A RUNNER.
That’s what I do.
That’s who I am.
Running is all I know, or want, or care about.
It was a race around the soccer field in third grade that swept me into a real love of running.

Breathing the sweet smell of spring grass.
Sailing over dots of blooming clover.
Beating all the boys.
After that, I couldn’t stop. I ran everywhere. Raced everyone.

I loved the wind across my cheeks, through my hair.
Running aired out my soul.
It made me feel alive.
And now? I’m stuck in this bed, knowing I’ll never run again.

TRY THIS

• Write out anything this excerpt brings to mind for you.
• Think about something you are passionate about (something that “airs out your soul,” “makes you feel alive”) and write down everything that makes this activity so important to you.

Or TRY THIS

• Start with the line “I AM A ________” and fill in the blank, describing all that you do, think, feel, experience while doing this activity.
• Change the line to “I am not a ________ ,” expanding on all the reasons why you are not.

Or TRY THIS

• Her last two lines say she will never run again. What has stopped you from doing something you love doing?