I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for a good bag. I’m especially keen on a mid-sized canvas tote; the kind your parents probably lugged back and forth to the beach, ball practice, the grocery, or pretty much anywhere you needed to be. Part purse, part picnic basket, part field emergency kit; the older I get, the more I appreciate the utility of this kind of bag.
One particular bag I’ve got has seen more sidelines, road trips, wet towels, and muddy shoes than any high school travel soccer club. It pops in and out of circulation, and is my current “trail days with the dog bag,” getting a couple of new reps each week. With permanent stains and scuffs from all types of adventures, it’s certainly nothing fancy; but it still dutifully performs at hauling stuff from one place to another.
It’s not performance that makes this bag so special. I have plenty of newer, nicer ones. But whether the load is running shoes, dog treats, or library books; this bag is really just packed full of memories. I got it my first year coaching Girls on the Run back about 15 years ago. It was part of our supply kit; along with the curriculum, cones, other bits and pieces, and of course, a tube of toothpaste. Truly, an IYKYK item. But that’s a story for another day. When it’s wadded up on the floorboard after another soggy run, you wouldn’t know it had such a big job in its former life.
This old bag was witness to countless kids running their first miles and their first 5k’s. Countless only because I never really kept track over the 6-plus seasons. I never expected it to be anything more than an opportunity to give a little back to running and to my kids’ elementary school. Then girls started writing about their experience in college entrance essays, or catching me in the grocery store to tell me they’d made the high school track team, or letting me know they’d be running their first marathon. And there are more where that came from.
In a way, this bag is like the finishers’ medal or merit badge I never really knew I was earning. And, quite frankly, I probably haven’t earned it just yet. It’s just funny sometimes how stuff can harbor all sorts of memories. I guess that’s why a picture is worth a thousand words and all. And maybe it explains why your Mom saved all those elementary school art projects and report cards?
Oscar Wilde had a lot to say about sentimentality and the emotions that come along with are borrowed, rather than bought. I’d like to believe the thoughts and emotions from those experiences were earned. In the best kind of way. Not every mile ended or even began with smiles and high fives. But every season seemed to end that way.
Like everyone and everybody, my Girls on the Run girls changed over all those years. They grew up, got degrees, traveled, moved away – or back. Some are off doing great things. Others are still preparing for their next chapter. I’m father to some of these great girls, and still connected to a few more. There are volumes left to be written about what they’ll all do for themselves, their communities, or the rest of the world. Regardless of what time, politics, the economy, or life throws at them, I know they’ve got what it takes to carry on and do good work.
Just like that old bag.
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