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Friday, March 9, 2012

SOL 9: Exercising fingers


I'm many things; however, I am not particularly athletic.  The closest I ever came to being an "athlete" was when I joined (you did not have to try out for that one) the synchronized swimming team in high school!  Things were different back in the "old days" before Title IX; however, so I am not sure if I had some innate capacity that never developed or if I am just not particularly athletic! 
For my kids, it was a very different story.  They gravitated to movement and sports with a passion that took me by surprise (ballet, tap, gymnastics, track, basketball, softball, football, baseball, wrestling......).  I was a reluctant sports mama and tried very hard to make academics their "vocation" and sports their "avocation."  Sometimes, I had to draw the line in Sharpie marker to make sure one of them could see it! 
Perhaps that is why I tend to marvel to the intense spirits around me.....my own children as well as my nieces and nephews....and have wondered where their affinity for sports came from....
Now I have a hunch..

This week, I've been thinking that, perhaps, it's not the competition aspect of sports that attracts and keeps people coming back for more...
Perhaps, it's the community part - being part of a community of people who share a similar passion.
Perhaps that is why people set their alarms early to go play golf AND to get up and write! 

I wonder if we need to talk about writing (or talking, discussing) as if were a more like sport?  What if we talked about writing as if it were "exercise" for our fingers?  What if we thought up ways to have more writing challenges, like this one, for our children! 
We are exercising our fingers!  WOWSERS...what a week! 

6 comments:

Wanda Brown said...

Great thought which is exactly why, I shared one of my posts with my first graders this week. I wanted them to see that I write outside of school. I wanted them to see that I have a community of writer/readers I belong to. Loved...exercise for my fingers...think I will share that one today:)We are studying the heart and exercise has been on our minds as we get our hearts pumping. Let's see if I can convince them that even writing is exercise.

Tara @ A Teaching Life said...

I think that word in red is at the center of it all...belonging to something one has to work hard for is great motivation.

Tam said...

Intersting take on writing every day. I never thought of writing as exercising my fingers. But as I age, exercising my brain every day like this is a good thing. If I could just include the whole body some how now!!

Betsy Hubbard said...

This makes me want to count out as I type...and 1 and 2 and 3...
It is like working a muscle, a writing muscle!

MaryHelen said...

Anita, you are brilliant! Yes, I love the concept of exercising my fingers. I would agree with Tam that I am exercising my brain more than anything. I'm learning to notice things that I might not have. It wasn't always that way. The SOLC community really encouraged this. This one goes in my notebook.

Jen said...

This is a special place! I feel safe here to share my ideas, my craft, my life. I know it's not perfect, but the exercise if stretching and growing me!