The Scampering Horse

Do you ever have that thing where you are commenting on Facebook or sending someone a message and you mean to write a comment, but somehow, you accidentally put up a GIF, and then you can't figure out how to take that thing down? It's just there. It makes no sense in context of the conversation. But there it lingers, with its horrifying visual stench, and people are probably judging you, even through we know everyone GIF's every now and then. Well, sometimes I have equally ridiculous ideas but nobody sees them. GIF farts in my brain, so to speak. Today I had one. I was in a YMCA class called "Bodyflow." It's a mix of Thai-chi, Pilates, and yoga. The switch up of movements is great for people who get cranky during workouts. I lose track of the time, and that is fantastic. So, we started making big circles, and then we swept that philosophical sand with our arms. I am so good at sweeping that sand with my fingertips, legs bending down in a semi-squat pos...

Meet Hyrum. In his pocket is a yo-yo. I’ve known him since he was a baby because I’m his aunt. I’m so lucky, because without this special relationship, Hyrum would be too shy to talk to me. Hyrum McNeill is a 14 year old boy: brown hair, hazel eyes, and an aptitude for math and running. His latest science project studied the bacterial growth on cell phones. (Spoiler alert, ewwww! Wash those things!) As much as his teachers loved him, his parents loved him, and I loved him, he struggled with friends at school. As a young boy, he was usually the kid that didn’t have a friend to play with, so he’d read. He also found out yo-yo was a solo sport, and it interested him. He would watch YouTube videos of it. By watching the pro yo-yo players, he learned better tricks. The internet provided a source of procedural research for Hyrum. He is a scientist, after all. He watched the Pro yo-yo players and practiced. His favorite player was Gentry Stein, the 2014 Class 1A World Champion. He’d practic...