his body in motion

Went for a swim today which naturally evoked an image of Shaun and his inherent athleticism. His body was a powerful machine when summoned to the task. Lithe and sometimes inexhaustible, it was no wonder he often ate to extremes just to satiate his high metabolism*.

Well for a minor period of my life, i fancied myself as a pretty fast sprinter. Perhaps it was hanging out with a crowd generally indisposed to athletics that lulled me into thinking i was the fastest. Until the one day a group of us was playing tag or soccer or whatever it was i don’t recall but i was running full sprint when i realized that Shaun was GAINING ON ME. Goddamn it i’m not fast at all anymore compared to this dude, i thought. He overtook me alright and to make matters worse, he wasn’t even winded! Crap. Not only was he faster but he had more stamina and could keep running seemingly forever. I knew he’d run track with Michelle but this was before i knew him so i had NO IDEA.

This went with the swimming also. Not that he was super fast or had some Rowdy Gaines strokes, but he would swim out farther than i ever dared and he made it look so effortless.

Another time he demonstrated how he could do a backflip from a standing position. I was awed and when asked how he managed it, he said that it just occurred to him that he could do it, so he did. Now the only people i ever see who can do that are breakdancers and not even the gymnasts or modern dancers i know can do it. Powerful.

*seriously, many a time i’ve seen him eating voraciously beside an open fridge only to retire with a belly-ache and post-binge regret.