“The First Shall Be Last, & the Last Shall Be First”

 Lisa:  You are probably thinking this will be a faith-related post since we are a strong Christian family and since I often refer to our journey with Sophie as the “Farah Family Faith Walk.”  It’s actually not!  This post is about competition!  It’s about me constantly reminding Sophie that I will not finish dead last in my age category at the 2018 Cleveland Turkey Trot like I did in 2014!!!  This annual 5K race has become a family tradition, and we love it.  The first year, we participated in Chagrin Falls amidst a blizzard.  At the time, Sophie was petrified of all pets, and little did we know, the race snaked through the picturesque neighborhoods of Chagrin Falls with canines and felines galore.  Needless to say, this fear impeded her (AND MY) speed during the 5K race, and I finished last in my age category.  By the end of the race, I would guess that several hundred seniors, wheel chair racers, and even people on crutches had finished well ahead of me and were already home, basting their turkeys!  While Sophie still isn’t keen on animals, gone are the days of her screeching in sheer panic whenever she comes within 50 yards of them.  Wish us luck!  We pre-registered this year, and this time, we are competing in “The Land!”

 

Sophie:  Go Mom, go!  I promise not to slow you down this time.  I am going to try to walk fast and even run parts of the race! Goodbye folks!