Value of a Morning Run and Soccer Cleats

What is the definition of value? Some might say that something valuable has a high price tag, but others might say that something valuable is something that brings great enjoyment or happiness. However you define it, you probably have things that you value, as do I. I value a run on a cool fall morning, and I also value my Diadora LX soccer cleats.

My alarm sounds, and the hard rock of Ozzy Osborne singing “I Don’t Wanna Stop” fills my ears. I lay there in bed for a few minutes, just relaxing, staring at the ceiling. Once the song ends, I let out a sigh and slowly rise from my bed. I slip on my socks, shorts, shirt, and shoes. My black Under Armour covers my arms, and my thin gloves cover my hands. I walk in to the kitchen where the first glints of morning sun shower everything with a warm light. I scribble a note on a piece of scrap paper telling my parents that I will be back shortly, and I walk out the door. The brisk air of the early morning fall touches my skin, sending a chill reverberating throughout my body. I start out with a slow jog, building up my pace until I am warm. I stay at that pace for a good two miles and then sprint the last one hundred meters. I stretch out my tight muscles, and then begin to head home. This time I keep a smooth, consistent pace, and exhale every time my left foot touches the ground to prevent cramps. With each breath, I feel the cool air flow into my lungs, and then out again.

I open the gray cardboard box, and inside are the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. My new, pearly white Diadora LX cleats look amazing. I slowly and carefully remove them from the box. With deliberate motions, I spin them around, admiring every detail, from the blue spikes to the hand stitched seams. I put them on and tie the laces. Since they are so long, I have to wrap the laces around the bottom once before tying them. Once both shoes are tight on my feet, I grab a ball and rush outside. When I step on the grass, I look down and all that I can see is light. Blinding light, redirected from the sun off of my cleats, and into my eyes. I find the ball, and flick it in the air. I begin to juggle, alternating feet. The kangaroo leather holds very well.

Both taking a long run on a cold morning, and my soccer cleats are things that I value. One is a material possession, while the other is not. My run on a cold morning a critical part of my day. It wakes me up after a long nights sleep, refreshes me, and starts off my weekend on a positive note. While running, I am able to think very clearly. It is almost as if the cool air brushing against my face takes all the cluttered thoughts in my head and organizes them for me. Thanks to these runs, I have been able to come to many good decisions. My cleats allow me to play my favorite sport successfully. Without them, I would be slipping all over the field, and would be a very ineffective player. They cost me $90, which is not a lot of money compared to some things, but for cleats that is a fairly expensive price.

My morning run and my cleats both represent a part of my identity. My cleats represent my love for soccer and sports, and my run signifies my pride in being in shape, and the enjoyment I get in having some time to myself.I can honestly say that I would be lost without either of these things, and to me, they are both truly valuable.

Fallen Angels Outside Reading Book Review

The Outside Reading Book that I selected is titled Fallen Angels. The book was written by Walter Dean Myers. The story takes place in the year 1967, and is about a black seventeen year-old from Harlem, named Richie Perry, who joins the United States Army. Richie is soon sent off to fight in Vietnam, where he meets and becomes friends with another soldier named Harold “Peewee” Gates. Apart from Peewee and Richie, the main characters are Monaco, an Italian, Lobel, a Jew, Johnson, an unusually strong black soldier, Sergeant Simpson, an intelligent and brave leader, and Captain Stewart, a greedy and selfish commander. Richie struggles with the difficulties of war, and, although he is only seventeen, he is quickly forced to transition to manhood.

Fallen Angels is told in first person point of view through the eyes of the protagonist, Richie Perry. Throughout the story, Myers effectively utilizes literary devices such as foreshadowing, imagery, and symbolism. An example of foreshadowing in the story was when Richie’s medical file was incorrectly processed, and although he acquired a knee injury playing basketball, he is still forced to be part of the combat. This hints that many things in the war may turn out to be much different than he originally expected. One example of imagery was on page 40, when it says, “There was a shard of metal protruding from Jenkins’ chest. The blood gurgled out of the wound it made and sprayed along the concave metallic surface. He tried to bring his hand to it, to touch it. A medic had reached him and pushed his hand away. Jenkins’ face was white and twisted as he struggled to look down at his wound. There were bubbles on his wound as he struggled for a final breath, and then that, too, stopped.” One example of symbolism is the dog tags that were lost in the fire when the bodies of the dead soldiers were burned. Those dog tags symbolized the lives of the soldiers, and how they were lost, almost without any meaning.