Mr. Optimistic

My jaw hit the floor. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a coincidence that those particular words came out of his mouth in that particular order.

            “I’m joining cross country.” My brother announced. I was shocked- happy and thrilled that he’d be running on his school’s team- but shocked none the less.

            He was the happy-go-lucky kind of kid running with the back if the pack in every race. He’s athletic- he’s on sports teams such as baseball and soccer- however running had never been a keen interest for him. He’d run and walk, enjoying the view as he leisurely made his way to the finish.

            I can remember a specific incident back in elementary school involving my brother and cross country that still cracks me up. We had both finished our races, which were both around 1.5-2.0 km, and I was with my parents as he made his way over to us.

            “I was trampled.” He whined. My brother (no offense) has the tendency to exaggerate sometimes, so the three of us told him just that. He made a comment about no one listening to him as he quickly turned and began to walk away. Then we noticed the dusty footprints lining the back of his shirt, and quickly called him over to apologize.

            In fifth grade, he decided to discontinue his running career and focus on other sports he adored. So we threw him a “retirement” party to congratulate him on his efforts over the past three years. We wrote him congratulatory thoughts and wishes on the windows with window markers and taped balloons in our school’s colours to the window frames. Our family said “goodbye” to his running career as we enjoyed a lovely dinner, but little did we know his interest in the sport would be sparked several years down the road.

            He said he was joining his high school’s team to stay fit and in shape for his upcoming soccer and ball hockey seasons this year. No matter what the reason, we’re all happy he’s decided to run again. We’re a little worried about the combination of his klutziness and the roots/rocks/trees that he could injure himself with, but we’re all used to keeping band-aids on hand at this point.

            He’s been doing pretty well, and has even made some friends along the way. For those who know him, they know he can be very chatty, friendly and outgoing. In fact, I was cheering him on this past Thursday and had to yell at him for trying to talk to me. “You’re in a race! Don’t talk to me! Just RUN!” I cried as he and his new buddy picked up their pace.

He had an amazing finish I must say. I’m pretty sure he has a bigger kick at the end of a race than I do!

I’ve learned a lot from my brother. He walks around with a giant, black cloud hanging over his head and he wears a smile regardless. He’s “Mr. Optimistic”- a glass half full kind of guy. He always remains positive and determined as he works hard towards his goals.

There are times when I don’t achieve a certain goal in a race, when I’m not cast as the role I was hoping for (or at all) in a show, or when I don’t score a high mark on a test or assignment at school. Those are the times when I have to think like him, and learn from my mistakes so I can better myself in the future.

He may not be perfect, but he’s my biggest cheerleader- Mr. Optimistic.