Malika
Well-Known Member
My brother and his American wife (they live in the States) have been here on a cycling holiday. They leave tomorrow and today we drove to where they are staying to spend the afternoon with them. The visit highlighted for me J's seemingly inexhaustible energy that does exhaust other people... When we arrived, he was in exploding energy mode and as soon as I could I took him outside to roller-skate (we had talked about doing that, as he couldn't take his bike) and he proceeded to whiz around the paved area and then insisted on skating down a small grassy incline again and again - despite remonstrances from me and my brother. He wouldn't accept no and in the end I just left him to it, not prepared for a public battle. He was okay... this seeking physical excitement, thrills, is very typical. Then we all (with relief) went for a long walk in the countryside outside the village - my brother and J walked ahead while I talked to my sister in law. They soon disappeared from view and when we eventually got back to the house, my brother said they had done jogging and speed walking - and that J had outstripped him and was unflagging! Indeed, he kept demanding to do more speed walking after that... Then he sat on the bed with my sister in law while she valiantly played a multitude of games and activities with him - he taking part, with occasional slides and somersaults over the bed... he also several times tried to wrestle with her, and jump all over her... Then, when that was over, he started playing at being a "stealer", running up and down the long row of houses "stealing" bits of paper and leaves (as well as a telephone and a camera from inside my brother's house, as we discovered when he emptied his bag before we left... The afternoon was full of laughter and good humour and J was sweet and affectionate as ever in between all the manic physical stuff that not infrequently exceeds the boundaries of what people are comfortable with - but I am quite sure they heaved a sigh of relief when we left. My sister in law said several times (not critically or nastily) that I must find him exhausting, tiring... This hyper-activity has become so normal for me that I don't know I even think about it much any more, other than in our small house when it is sometimes bothersome, but it is clearly like a little tornado for people who are not used to it.
His energy truly is remarkable. If it could be channelled into sport, that he developed skills at, I imagine he would be an asset. In daily life, it is hard for people to deal with, though.
His energy truly is remarkable. If it could be channelled into sport, that he developed skills at, I imagine he would be an asset. In daily life, it is hard for people to deal with, though.