There is no single person who I shared more time with while I lived in Hamilton than Mandy Vyce. She was my training partner for the two years that I ran as a McMaster Marauder and Alumni. We logged hundreds of miles together.Today neither of us is running much at a competitive level. While I am training for a marathon "just for the heck of it," Mandy is spending more time in the pool while she nurses a couple of chronic injuries and a tumor in her foot that caused a recent cancer scare.
Having plenty in common aside from our interest in long distance running, the conversation never grows dry. About the only thing dry is the red wine we enjoyed with our My-Thai picnic by Cootes Bay this afternoon. She and I both love good food and wine and I am begining to realize this is the foundation of a solid companionship...
Another common thread is our independent decisions to return to school. Mandy acted as the program coordinator for a Jewish seniors home for over five years before deciding to complete a second undergraduate degree in political science. She plans to pursue post-grad studies in International Development next year. Eloquent and opinionated, I bet she would make an excellet corresponding journalist.
But then I am the one going on to study newspaper reporting. In England, fancy that. I remember deliberating with Mandy over an opportunity to do a PhD, gaining ideas and advice from her. At the same time, she was struggling to relinquish a comfortable lifestyle and hit the school books once again. We were both befuddled, and frequently exchanged the details of our personal and academic tribulations over long runs and shrimp khorma.
It is interesting to sit across from her today and realize how far we have come. Not just how far our feet have trod, but also the distance we have gained from our muddled minds.
Methinks the moment me legs begin to move, me thoughts begin to flow." - Henry David Thoreau.
