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Roller Skating
Has it Changed or Am I Just Too Old? By Gwen Morrison
"Whew! All the way around the whole rink! I'm getting good," I thought.
"Mom!" yelled my son as he skated by. I could barely hear him over the lyrics of "Wipe Out!"
Around he came again in what seemed like 10 seconds. "Mom, are you comin' or what?"
I motioned for him to come to me. He didn't have to get on his knees to maneuver the step up to the carpeted area. He didn't even stop as he jumped up to the level I was sitting on!
"I'm ... uh ... I'm waiting for a good song," I told him, rubbing my calf muscles.
He giggled. I straightened up and rolled my feet back and forth.
"So ... you did this before?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. I went skating every weekend when I was young. It was the cool thing to do. And boy, was I good."
Feeling like I needed to prove it to him, I grabbed his hand and made my way back out to the rink. He was gracious and allowed me to hold him up as we went around for the couple's skate. I finally did manage to turn the corners with some grace, and by the end of the afternoon, I was grooving to the music right along with the other kids.
I can't say it was exactly the same, but it was fun: holding hands with my "new" guy, dancing on my skates under the strobe lights to "Staying Alive." It was worth it, even though I never did remember how to stop without gripping the wall. And the next time I go, I will definitely need to bring my orthopedic inserts; my feet are killing me!