So I was in Target and I *gasp* bought nothing for my kiddos and something for myself that was not a “need.” In compliance with “the list” I decided to purchase rollerblades. I am the proud owner of a light blue and gray pair of Schwinn’s.
When I was a kid I loved roller skating at the Rainbow Skating Rink in Elkton. I can still hear the music, see the disco ball, and envision the limbo stick coming out to challenge everyone to know how low they could go. Then there were the pimply faced boys sitting in the booths trying to look cool, and girls who had stolen their moms’ makeup and perfume trying to act like they didn’t notice the boys.
While I had friends on both sides of the rink, I was not there to socialize, I was there to skate. For me, there was nothing better than being a 13 year old girl who could skate backwards, and being the roller-hero to the onlookers (aka the “little kids”). While some were looking to steal kisses in the corner, I was hoping to show off a new “stunt.”
Then it hit me: my kids just got roller skates for Easter! I could show them that I was still that cool “hero.” That trip down memory lane plus the anticipated thrill and awe of my adoring children played like a slow movie and triggered me to shell out the $38 for the skates. I merrily threw the box into the cart and cavalierly breezed by the helmet and pads department.
Almost immediately I got home, opened the box, and put on the skates. With my husband home for lunch, I had a full audience including my youngest daughter Isabelle, and faithful pup Nala.
Here’s what I learned: turning and stopping are now “stunts” that are much harder at 24 years old than when I was 13. What I should’ve done is heeded my own advice about the importance of safety and helmets as my daughters did:
Let me be brief: I wiped out. Only once, but man it hurt. My husband giggled and my two year old ran to me as if I were on fire and she was the water to halt the flame. “Are you okay Mommy?” she asked as she gently rubbed my back, and then she said “I’m sorry you got hurt. You should be safe.” Yikes! She was right! I should’ve been safe, I should’ve been smart, I should’ve worn a helmet.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.” 2 Tim 1:7 (AMP)
I’m so glad that God gave me a courageous spirit, but sometimes I forget to balance that with “self-control.” And I have the evidence to prove it:
I discovered that the bruised leg comes with a matching ego after my big girls got home and asked me what happened. Their eye rolling and “good grief” responses gave me the Leroy-Jethro Gibbs (http://ncis.wikia.com/wiki/Leroy_Jethro_Gibbs) smack to the head that I needed.
But I think it’s important for my kids to see my mistakes and explore my wounds. My hope is that maybe they won’t make the same ones that I do (or did). I can say this: my daughters have not complained one bit about wearing helmets and pads since my debacle!
Glad that God always teaching and forgiving me, and that my leg is not my cranium!
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