Archive: The Fine and Right Education of the Young Doctor Benny

Benny won the Tot Trot at the YMCA Waterside Stride event downtown in Norfolk today. By which I mean that of the children who ran, he ran fastest and crossed the finish line first. It was a quarter mile running race. Every child got a gold medal on a ribbon around their necks. Benny, however, actually in fact won. He said he was going to. He accomplished the task very calmly and with a completely matter-of-fact attitude. It was... astonishing. There was a lot of Dan in Benny today, in his quiet assessment of what was necessary and his quiet and steely application of his will to the problem. It was really something to watch -- the competitive streak in this child is completely beyond what I thought before. On some level, the kid is made of steel. I really had no idea. He ran as fast as he needed to run to beat the other kids -- he went out in front in the beginning and stayed out in front the entire time. I think if he'd had to throw himself across the finish line with his eyes bleeding and his limbs hanging off, he would have done it... without vacillating. It was a little crazy! He was very pleased with himself and loved his medal but was extremely calm about the result as if... of course. He is an amazing person, our Benny. Amazing.