Roll into the Fall
You’ve heard of defensive driving? Well, I have to practice defensive walking. I’m such a klutz that just going to the mailbox is a hazard. Last night, as I was leaving a family dinner at Copeland’s, I tripped and fell in the parking lot. Since I had been drinking nothing but water, I have only my own clumsiness to blame. And like everyone with two left feet, I have no idea how it happened. My brother-in-law said I stepped on a rock, but all I felt was my shoe slipping and myself tripping. It’s not so remarkable that I could manage to trip walking across a flat, paved surface. It wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last. What I’m really proud of is the way I fell. Even my brother-in-law, who never misses an opportunity to tease, only said, “Hey, excellent roll. Now that’s the way to fall.”
I didn’t fall forward or try to break my fall with my hands. I didn’t land on my knees. I simply squatted, rolled onto my side, rolled right over to the other side and back up again in one fluid move. There was too much momentum from tripping to keep from falling. I had no choice but to go down. There was no time to think about it. Just by pure instinct, I caught myself with my muscles and rolled myself along with the fall in a way that protected me from injury. I don’t have a scratch, scrape or bruise on me today. I don’t even have a sore back.
Six months ago I couldn’t have controlled a fall like that. Six months ago I didn’t have the core muscle strength.
We can’t keep things from knocking us down. No matter how good we are or how smart we are or how hard-working we are, there are going to be stones all up in our pathways. Nothing can prevent that.
The only thing we can learn to control is how we handle bad things when they happen. The weaker we are physically, the more likely we are to break something when we fall. The weaker we are emotionally, mentally or spiritually, the more likely we are to break apart when tragedy strikes. Believe me. I’ve broken apart enough to know.
We all need to learn to roll into our falls instead of letting them break us. We need to practice getting stronger in mind, body and spirit each and every day so that we’re able to protect ourselves and those closest to us when the hard knocks hit.
People we love are going to die. Others are going to disappoint us or betray us. We’re going to experience illness and injury. We’re going to experience financial hardship and discouragement. Disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, are going come along and change our whole worlds when we least expect it.
That’s life, as they say.
There is nothing remarkable about suffering. Suffering is everywhere and in everyone. No one is charmed enough to escape for long.
How much you personally suffer has very little to do with how many bad things happen to you. It has much more to do with how you choose to react. Learn to roll into your falls. Learn to accept the bad, accept getting knocked off balance, without ever allowing yourself to lose control of where your falls take the person you are in your core.
I didn’t fall forward or try to break my fall with my hands. I didn’t land on my knees. I simply squatted, rolled onto my side, rolled right over to the other side and back up again in one fluid move. There was too much momentum from tripping to keep from falling. I had no choice but to go down. There was no time to think about it. Just by pure instinct, I caught myself with my muscles and rolled myself along with the fall in a way that protected me from injury. I don’t have a scratch, scrape or bruise on me today. I don’t even have a sore back.
Six months ago I couldn’t have controlled a fall like that. Six months ago I didn’t have the core muscle strength.
We can’t keep things from knocking us down. No matter how good we are or how smart we are or how hard-working we are, there are going to be stones all up in our pathways. Nothing can prevent that.
The only thing we can learn to control is how we handle bad things when they happen. The weaker we are physically, the more likely we are to break something when we fall. The weaker we are emotionally, mentally or spiritually, the more likely we are to break apart when tragedy strikes. Believe me. I’ve broken apart enough to know.
We all need to learn to roll into our falls instead of letting them break us. We need to practice getting stronger in mind, body and spirit each and every day so that we’re able to protect ourselves and those closest to us when the hard knocks hit.
People we love are going to die. Others are going to disappoint us or betray us. We’re going to experience illness and injury. We’re going to experience financial hardship and discouragement. Disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, are going come along and change our whole worlds when we least expect it.
That’s life, as they say.
There is nothing remarkable about suffering. Suffering is everywhere and in everyone. No one is charmed enough to escape for long.
How much you personally suffer has very little to do with how many bad things happen to you. It has much more to do with how you choose to react. Learn to roll into your falls. Learn to accept the bad, accept getting knocked off balance, without ever allowing yourself to lose control of where your falls take the person you are in your core.
posted by Sharon Gerald | 10:50 AM
1 Comments:
I can identify with your story, having walked through life on two left feet. I was reminded, though, of my husband's aunt, Leola, who lives with us. She is 97 and occasionally falls but never seems to hurt herself. She says that her stepson's high school football coach told them to relax when they realized they were going down, and that's what she does. I don't really see how this works, for like Sharon I never have any clear idea of how I went from walking to sitting on my behind. But I try to tell myself to relax and not fight falling. Maybe I can program this idea deep into my mind so that I don't have to think but will simply relax.
Jeanne
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