Roller Skating

 Last Wednesday I took Jorja to a birthday party at the roller skating rink near us.  Her friends, twins Hailey and Kailey, had the rink rented out so it was just a bunch of 6 and 7 year old girls and their parents.  It was a lot of fun!!  This was Jorja's first time skating at a roller rink and it was a lot more slippery than she thought it would be.  She fell quite a bit and was getting frustrated so I ended up renting a cool guide thing to help her stay upright.  They were really neat, made out of pvc pipe and attached at a 90 degree angle (like a triangle without one side).  It made me wish we had something like that when I was little!

Anyway, Jorja had a great time skating with a bunch of her friends.  Below, Jorja and one of her best friends, Lindsey Ellefsen.

Being the awesome mom that I am, I opted to skate with her and it brought back many memories!  Like biking, the thing I love about roller skating is being able to go fast!  I love the feeling of speed and wind through my hair.  Simply divine!!  I remember going to the roller rink as a kid and being so proud of myself when I skated in the middle with all the fast skaters.  I sure wanted to be like them but I'm sure I was a total obstacle to them!

When I was 10 years old, I asked my parents for a pair of my own roller skates, imagining white, high boots with fast, rubber wheels that would take me speedily down the street.  I could take them to my friends' houses (or vice versa) and we'd speed down the street together laughing all the while.  Such fun I would have!  I could even bring my own skates to the roller rink and be so cool with white boots instead of the standard brown ones that one had to rent at the rink.  Oh what fun I would have with my new skates!!

 Alas, my dream was not to come true.  I did indeed get roller skates that year, only they were not exactly what I had envisioned.  Yes, my boots were a beautiful white.  But instead of rubber wheels, mine were made out of metal.  I remember being really disappointed because these skates were not like the others.  They did not make me feel cool and worst of all, they did not, and I mean NOT in a very big way, go fast.  In fact, it would have been easier to just run.  If I ran over a rock, my metal wheels not only did not absorb the shock but they would actually get all dented.

But, being the optimist that I am, I decided that skates with metal wheels were better than no skates at all.  And even though I was disappointed in my skates' limitations, I was still determined to make the best of the situation.  I practiced and practiced controlling the skates down the driveway and along the sidewalk.  I am sure I got way more physical exercise because of my metal wheels.  These skates didn't really coast.  No, if there was any forward movement it was directly related to me moving my legs.

I actually got pretty good on my skates and was able to then do pretty well with the rubber skates at the rink.  Fast forward thirty years and I still had my groove goin'.  I admit I am not the best skater, but I can certainly hold my own.  Most important, I can go fast and still maneuver the turns, wind whipping through my hair.  However, this does not work so well holding on to an inexperienced 6 year old girl.  Before I rented the pvc pipe helper thing I was holding Jorja myself.  At one point I had both my hands under her armpits and she threw me off balance.  Not being able to break my fall, I fell back landing on my tail bone.  Ouch!!  The fall completely took the wind out of my lungs and I just sat there for a minute until I could get the strength to get up.  Four days later and I am still on pain killers.  Not quite the roller diva I had envisioned myself to be at age 37!!!