One foot in front of the other

There is a highly crucial phase in every child’s life: the moment you realize adolescence is approaching. It approaches from afar, with a blurry contour. Sometimes in the shape of an older cousin who doesn’t want to play with you anymore. Or as an annoyance caused by your sister wanting to fill the walls of your shared bedroom with posters of her K-pop idols.

There isn’t a clear marker, but you can feel the teenager haze setting in. With it comes boredom, irritability, and social hypervigilance. You realize that, depending on what you do, you’ll be judged. And your mom’s comfort doesn’t help when she tells you that the kids who mocked you just don’t have swag.

Mom, come on, nobody says ‘swag’!

There are major changes, like noticing your body changing, your first romantic interests, and so on. But there were also the small transformations, which don’t necessarily come with pain. These are transformations that happen so you can adapt to life in society, understand cultural codes, and adjust to new contexts. During one of these, I was running back home, a bag of onions in my hand and a mission in my heart: to save lunch through the emergency purchase of a pillar of Brazilian seasoning. I looked around and saw a bunch of kids my age… Walking.

Keep walking

They were heading to the court to play, and they weren’t running, nor were they dribbling a ball. They were simply walking… On the sidewalk, like mini white-collar workers, ready to start their 9-to-5 grind in a Wall Street office! From that day on, I started observing my peers: kids with just a few years lived in their first decade of life. Some played with Beyblades, others were already starting to talk about dating. But all of them, without exception, walked… I was the only one who ran.

I ran to get something from the grocery store, I ran to my grandpa’s house, I ran to get to the corner faster. After all, if I didn’t get there before the guy on the bicycle, my mom would die in the hypothetical world of mortal challenges inside my head. To me, walking was just a slow way of running, or life’s battery-saving mode. It was more boring; I couldn’t feel the wind in my face!

Until the moment I realized that walking was the trend. Walking, one foot in front of the other, at a slower pace, with no risk of getting hurt or making a fool of myself.

— And hey, I’m not ridiculous! — I thought, as I gradually slowed my pace and finished the onion delivery mission while… Walking.

Vitor Duarte

Written By

Vitor Duarte

You May Also Like