Adoro correr... no realmente... quiero correr... a veces

I had this dream the other night that my firm gave me the summer off. My firm was running a program where we could take off for three months and go back to high school. The goal of the program was to give us a second chance to do better at the classes we took during those four years. In my dream, I planned to use my return to high school to:

• Pay attention in Spanish - Ojalá pudiera hablar español. That's "I wish I could speak Spanish." No, I didn't just know how to say that in Spanish off the top of my head. Remember, I didn't pay attention in Spanish the first time around. I used Google Translate to figure that out. I also used Google Translate to figure out what my title would be. Thank you Google Translate. You've been helping me hide that I didn't learn a lick of Spanish for 16 years now.


• Not receive "Talks Excessively" on my report card. Can you believe that I used to get "Talks Excessively" on my report card? Yes, it is true. I had a problem keeping my mouth shut in class.


• Try out for the Cross Country Team. If I had to rank the different sports available to the students at my high school beginning with the sport in which I would most likely participate and ending with the the sport in which I would never participate, cross country would be last on that list.

So I'm back in high school. As I walked the halls, nothing had changed. I found my Spanish class and I headed to the gym to check in with the coaches about trying out for the team. I had this sense of confidence that I could achieve these three goals.

When I woke up, I had to laugh. If I went back to high school now, of course I could do better in Spanish - I would pay attention and do my homework. I went to law school for crying out loud. If I can get through that, I can get though Spanish. I would also make sure that I would not receive "Talks Excessively" on my report card. I figured, since all my old friends would not be joining me during my second stint in high school, I would be safe from the temptation to talk.

Now, cross country, that was a different matter. Although I knew nothing about cross country, I always thought it was a sport that required you to get up early on the weekends and run 15 plus miles. Nope, even if I am presently training for a marathon, I don't think I would make the Cross Country Team.

As my day wore on, I was nagged by thoughts of high school cross country. When I got home I had to look up the specifics. I did a quick Google search for Texas high school cross country rules and regulations. Guess what I learned? In Texas, high school girls competing in a cross country meet run a total of 2 miles. 2 miles???? Are you kidding me? I spent the last 16 years believing that a cross country meet consisted of 15 plus miles. Don't get me wrong, 2 miles is a respectable distance. A distance I could not have run when I was in high school in 1994.

But it is a distance that I could run now. Wow. Never thought I would say that.

Of course, this was all a dream. I will not be expanding my Spanish vocabulary. I will not be given a second chance to redeem myself when it comes to talking in class. I will not be a member of the Eagle Cross Country Team. My firm isn't running a program to send me back to high school.

But what if they did? Would I go back?

Are you crazy??? Not on your life.

Oh, and by the way - for the folks out there who also failed to pay attention in Spanish class, Adoro correr...: "I love to run... not really... I like to run... sometimes."