Welcome to Purposeful Movement!

This wee blog has been a long time coming but sometimes life just seems to get in the way…  I will be touching on a wide variety of topics (OK, sometimes more ranting than touching) with the common theme being movement of all sorts.  Physical education, for sure.  Sport, yup. Physical activity, yup. Physical literacy – you betcha.  Children and youth – absolutely (a bit of a specialty of mine).  Joy – wouldn’t miss it.  So, to kick this off and give you a bit of glimpse into my psyche (scary, I know), here is a poem I wrote for my Masters thesis.   Yes, I said a poem. Enjoy!

Child

For a fleeting moment, the child is still

Face dirty and smiling

Jeans grass-stained, torn, mended, torn again

Pockets full

Before the image really registers, the child is gone

A blur flying among the tall grass, fences and pastures

Free to explore and enjoy

Movement everywhere, in everything

Bikes, balls, trees, fields, swings, space

Pretending, feeling, building, creating

Work is play, play is work

Sweating in the late afternoon sun

Dirt clings but does not matter

All day he moves over the farm

Running, jumping, crawling, throwing,

Walking, creeping, leaping, rolling

The only constant is constant movement

Joy seeps through the dirt

Eyes are bright and expressive

Face mirrors mood

Reveling in the smallest accomplishment

Sharing success excitedly with any who will listen

At the end of the day he falls

Into a contented sleep

Dreaming

Of

Joy.

Yet to come.