The other day, I was running for the first time in 4 weeks. All right, so I was waggling (a bizarre combination of jogging and...waddling) for the first time in 4 weeks. It's not that I've gained back THAT much weight, but after about a month of not exercising, my body kind of forgot how to handle it. So I was huffing along like a fat sixty year old man in a bad sweatsuit from the '80s. And it was difficult to keep the waggling for very long.
That's when it happened. It started with a single note--a long, sweet, soft note from a french horn. Slowly, as my waggling strength waned, the note crescendoed. Then the strings joined in, ever so gently. Then came the voice. It was that movie announcer guy who died a few years ago--the one who did the GEICO commercial (he was awesome). His voice was not loud, but the depth of emotion in it was unmistakable.
And he said:
"Ruth Campbell will never be a great runner. She's not in this for the glory. She isn't in this for the speed. She doesn't care if she isn't the fastest runner in the world or if she never completes a marathon. No. Ruth Campbell runs because she loves to run. She loves the feeling of the wind on her face, mingling with the sweat on her brow. She loves the rhythm of the pavement beneath her feet. She loves the feeling she gets when she accomplishes something she never thought she could do before. She may not be a great runner, but today--TODAY--Ruth Campbell will finish this run, and nothing will stop her."
It wasn't until the voice had finished that I realized I'd just had one of those "Caddyshack Bill Murray" moments--you know--when he would hit the golf balls and pretend he was some great golfer, when he was just really some creepy weirdo with a strange hat. And I also realized something else. It's not the first time I've had one of those moments. I've had many of them. Too many to count.
I am a writer, so I have a pretty good imagination. Maybe that's why I've had so many of those imaginary voiceovers. Like--when I'm cooking and all the sudden I hear this voice inside my head listing off ingredients, as if I were actually preparing something for a cooking show. Or when I'm driving and I can't find the place I'm looking for, and I mentally start hearing a trailer for a suspenseful movie where the protagonist gets lost . Or when I'm playing a computer game and picture myself as some great computer game playing genius in a world class competition. Or when I'm bored while I'm shopping so I start pretending I'm a secret agent who will stop at nothing to find the "half gallon of milk" or "loaf of bread."
I guess I'm kind of a nerd.
Do you ever play imaginary voiceovers in your head (or out loud)? Wanna share?
I have musicals in my head instead. Everything's a song. In fact, the kids and I will randomly have conversations-by-song, in the car or store or wherever. Instead of talking to each other, we're all of a sudden singing everything. Sometimes in a British accent. People look at us very funny. ;)
ReplyDeleteI do that, too! I really think life should be a musical!
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