Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Rollerblading Life Lessons

Sunday I unpacked my rollerblades – that hadn´t been used in at least three years – and decided to take the kids to a nearby parking lot so I could revive the feeling of being on wheels, while they skated or biked beside me.

I´m a runner, not a skater, but I enjoy skating because it´s a challenge. Years ago I broke my tailbone after a bad fall, but that didn´t prevent me from snapping those wheels on my feet again. I do, however, wear protections every time.

As I started gliding on the concrete again, I felt rusty, but then I remembered the little tricks that make rollerblading (and goal setting, and life) happen:

-      Practice falling before you start skating. Having a plan helps you recover sooner from any fall in life.
-       Lean forward into the skates, to avoid falling backwards. Lean into problems in life instead of resisting them.
-       Keep your eyes on your destination. Just doing that helped me turn and make figure 8´s again. In life, don´t lose sight of your goals, and eventually you will reach them.
-       Relax your body, stay calm, engage only the muscles that need to be engaged. In life, relax your body, stay calm, engage the muscles and senses that need to be engaged. In both cases, this prevents exhaustion.
-       Enjoy the ride. In life, enjoy the ride.

The picture was taken by my 10-year old, who wore my skates right after I did and after I gave her the few pointers above, she glided away from me as if she had done it her whole life. I hope she keeps it up both on rollerblades and in life.

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