Rollerblading

I was a very clumsy kid. I was terrible at all team sports, and I never learned to ride a bike properly, largely because I eventually got very frustrated and gave up. In high school gym class I always went for options like weightlifting and golf, where I didn't have to put my own inferior athletic skills on display next to my classmates.

So I've grown up with this very deeply held belief that I'm innately clumsy. I don't consider myself to be particularly weak or slow, but in my own estimation, I'm hopelessly klutzy.

So this weekend we went rollerblading. My first time. How did that work out?

When I strapped on rollerblades for the first time, I was totally unable to move. I needed help just to stand up. I had to hold on to the railing.

The rink was empty except for us and a bunch of Taiwanese kids. I thought these kids were going to leave with the stereotype "White people can't rollerblade".

And, little by little, I got better.

I spent an hour at the rink and I improved to the point where I'm sure I still looked like a novice, but I was fully mobile and could propel myself with my feet like I was supposed to.

And I noticed that, if I moved while watching people who actually knew how to rollerblade, then I could actually move with some grace and speed. A surprising amount of it was mental. If I thought I was competent, then I was.

I improved considerably in my hour there, and I'll improve more when I spend more time rollerblading. Heck, I feel like I'm fully capable of navigating an obstacle course in my rollerblades if I practice enough.

I'm 28 years old. Time to shed this self-image of being clumsy.