THE
LITTLE SKATER
She
skated by me on spindly, unsteady legs. The park path was smooth, but
the little girl on roller skates kept falling down.
While
swaying back and forth on a glider, I watched her. Each spill to the
pavement made the small seven year old less unsure and made me more
distressed to see her less able to master her skating skill.
The
park was packed with families, pets, screaming children. A beautiful
scene on a beautiful spring afternoon. I noticed everything, but the
little girl on skates captured my attention.
I
admired her tenacity, even as she got slower each time to rise up and
try again. Her face registered heavy concentration and consternation
at the same time. Determined to skate correctly, but worried for
failure. Her knees hit the cement and as she rose yet again, I saw a
bloody scrape.
Little
children are so brave. I would've left wailing after failing so many
times, but she still kept skating, arms flailing wildly for better
balance.
Ironically,
those rapid motions were her downfall. And down she went again.
As
she struggled my way, her expression signaled a pleading request for
a rest. I motioned her over and slid left to offer a seat next to me
on the swing. Immediately, the little skater smiled, nodded, and
collapsed quickly next to me with a grateful sigh.
“Hi!”
I said brightly, and smiled big at her. “Hi,” she answered, as
she looked up at me and then held her head in her hands with an
audible sigh.
“I
can't do it ...” she whispered with a throaty, whooshing sound,
raising her sad face to look at me closely.
“Yeah,
it looks like you're having a hard time,” I acknowledged. My tone
brightened as I announced, “well, guess what? Today's your lucky
day!”
The
little skater looked at me with a toothy, eager grin.
“You
just fell down next to a skating coach,” I continued, “and I'll
bet I can have you up and skating within five minutes!”
“Really?”
She smiled bigger as if she really had won something. She had a tooth
missing and a precious personality. I knew I could help her and my
confidence was contagious.
“Are
you ready?”
She
nodded eagerly.
Using
my hands, I demonstrated the correct posture and explained how
gravity, motion, and body position all affect balance and the ability
to glide gracefully without worry of falling.
“Your
body will follow your arms, so if you wave them around, you will be
unsteady and fall back if your arms are behind you,” I explained.
“Keep them level and in front of you, and if you feel yourself
start to fall, push your arms even further ahead of you to regain
balance.”
Anxious
to succeed, she immediately tried to skate again, implementing my
corrections. I think she surprised herself that a smooth and balanced
glide actually was that easy!
As she rotated to smile wide at me, she jerked herself back to
balance, realizing that that turning motion made her wobbly. Her
determination and belief solidified as the little skater gracefully
glided away – seemingly taller with pride.
With
matching satisfaction, I watched her skate over to her mother and
brother, and pointing to me, the little girl mouthed some sort of
over-exuberant explanation of our encounter and her newly found
expertise at skating. They looked over to me and nodded.
The
little skater skated away. Faster and faster, happier and happier. As
she rounded the oval to pass by me again, she waved as if we were old
friends. I clapped to applaud her confident success.
We
were old friends. It was that easy.
Just Another Lori Story.
Just Another Lori Story.
