Old Dog, New Tricks

Watching Taggart learn to play baseball this spring, I have been impressed by how quickly he has picked up various aspects of the game. Some of it from his coaches, some from the other players, and some from watching the pros on T.V., each piece of information helps him put more of the puzzle of baseball together. Not ever having played before, he has come a long way and has grown to love the game.

Watching him so easily assimilate to the game and its many nuances made me wonder, what happens as we get older and trying something new no longer seems natural? Do we indeed simply become old dogs, unwilling to learn new tricks? Is it fear, or complacency, or laziness, or stuck-in-a-ruttedness? Even when we know we desperately need new tricks, we cling to our old ways. Even when there is a big change and we do not adjust the rest of our lives around it or for it . . . why are we so unmovable?

I remember my high school math teacher once telling us that when he was young his dad made him drive a different route home from school every day. That his dad wanted him to use his mind and to explore his surroundings. To be creative and not make a habit of a single way. How often do we make a habit of a single way? How often do we take different routes? What else might we see or experience for having done so?

As an up-and-coming old dog, I am still open to learning some new tricks and I have finally committed with my friend Terri to run a half-marathon next October. At 41, taking on new tricks involves some pretty serious training. The last thing I want is to be side-tracked in my busy days because of injuries. And one of the books I am using, Marathoning for Mortals, highly recommends cross-training vs. running every day. In the past, all I have done is run, run, run and my legs get sore, I get bored, and inevitably, my back or hip gives out (from being hit by a car while I was running – a whole other story about needing to learn new tricks!).

So, I have started riding my bike for one of my weekly workouts. And, I love it! I feel like a kid (er, puppy!) again as I pedal around the neighborhood, speeding down hills with the wind on my face and remembering the pure joy and freedom riding a bike can bring. I’m exploring new roads and trying on a new way to be healthy and strong.

Running has always been my quick fix but I’m learning that maybe it’s not the only way. I’m open to the possibility, that maybe – just maybe, there is more than one way to be my most fit and healthy self.

Riding a bike is an old trick for a middle-aged dog but it feels new. And sometimes just feeling new is all we need. So, to whatever makes you feel new again, bark up that tree. Find your inner-puppy and run (or roll) with it!