Man On a Mission

What a difference one year can make in the life of a little boy!

Do you remember last year when Nicholas did his Boosterthon Fun Run for his school fundraiser and ran 22 laps? That was a big deal at age 6 (1st grade) because he ran the most of anyone in his class. Woo Hoo.

So this year, when he heard that second graders can usually run 25-30 laps, he told Amy that his goal was to run 30 laps. Like last year, Donica said she'd donate $3/lap.

So, at the beginning of the hour's time allotment, everyone has to pay attention to the rules.

Excitement is in the air as the kids wait in anticipation. Would you please hurry up!

Then they're off and running. 30 laps, remember!

After each lap, teachers are positioned to mark off each one, with Nicholas barely standing still long enough to make it count.

And off he goes again.

Sometimes he DID have to slow down and walk! Yes. He wasn't maniacal all the time. He even gave G'ma a nice smile.

But then he was off to the races again.

Is he having fun or what!

Over and over again.

Now look closely. Can you see the grid well enough (click to enlarge) to tell that there are spaces for 40 laps. F O R T Y. One square left, 5 minutes to go, and Nicholas is on his 40th lap!

F O R T Y laps, G'ma

Now listen to this story. When Amy told Nicholas earlier that Donica was donating $3/lap, he immediately responded with, "And what is G'ma donating?!" HA! Amy told him that G'ma and Donica usually are together in their donation, and that's the truth. But he wanted more money because maybe he could get a prize if he had the most donated. HAHAHA. Smart boy. "A salesman in the making," both Amy and Dennis said.

But as I drove to the Boosterthon, I said to myself, "G'ma, you're just gonna have to donate $1/lap!" And so I told him that before he started the race.

All's well that ends well with a satisfied little boy, enjoying his victory. During the race he had heard it announced that a third grader had just run 40 laps. Who knows what was going on in his head, but when he made HIS 40 laps, his name, too, was announced.

That is a mission! If he can go through the rest of his life like THAT, who knows what that little boy will dream up next as a goal to achieve...and then change his mind mid-course and up the ante!