We all fall down: Crashing into the snowbanks; both the literal and the metaphorical.
While cruising down the icy sheets of Ottawa this is especially true. Can some sort of lesson be gleaned from a head long?
Recently, a lady of "advanced age" fell, and fell hard: pants torn open and bloodied knee. We all slip and fall, but the next step is getting up; she didn't. She just stayed down. The thought that the situation was too ridiculous crossed her mind. So she just lay there pondering the moment. It just made more sense to lie amidst the drifting snow than enter the struggle to climb back to her feet.
My first response was: "what a nutter". (not the most charitable thought)
Later: I can see that falling and not having the energy, motivation or incentive to get up might some day come to us all. When we were youngling we would bounce up and fall ten times and more in the biggest snowbank we could find.
Getting old is ridiculous.
Also, she has just made the move past embarrassment. I'll know I've made that breakthrough when I just stay down.
I hope no one saw me fall in the parking lot after hockey on Friday.
7 comments:
I understand your first response. We used to joke about the "I've fallen, and I can't get up" commercials, but age brings the reality of that home.
That move "past embarrassment"...is it a grace or a small death or both, I wonder?
Lots of food for thought in this vignette. Thanks for sharing it.
Some pop up quickly, some take a minute to think about it, some don’t feel they even have a choice to get up at all.
Getting old is definitely challenging. It skews our view of time...and what is worth getting up for and what is worth getting embarrassed over (or not).
Thanks for provoking thought…
I like your honesty and humility.
as one who falls often because of illness, it is hard to get back up...sometimes grace is waiting for someone to help us up when we can't do it on our own.
I like this...I've had times in my life when I was quick to jump up after falling (metaphorically -speaking), to hide the embarrassment, but I've also had times I was down for the count. If I'm being honest, I think I learned the most when I stayed down instead of glossing over it all and jumping back in with a fake smile. Sometimes we need to let ourselves be down, let Him show us what's going on. I've found His gentleness beyond what I deserve in these times. He waits for us, I think, to stay put sometimes, so He can be the one to help us up, but we get too independent and stubborn to sit still. Sorry to ramble on. I'm just grateful for my trip-ups. Of course, it's easier to be thankful 'after' and harder 'during' :)
okay, i attempted to learn to ski for the first time this past winter as a forty-something. let's just say. . . i fell a few times. i got to the point, where i just lay there, looking up at the oh-so-beautiful sky.
so, literally and metaphorically speaking, i'm thinking that sometimes when one falls, one then discovers that there is a new view that couldn't be seen from one's previous posture---and it's worth just staying down for a bit to enjoy it.
and that's my $.02 :-)
your posts are always so unique ollie. i love that. and while i was reading this i was reminded actually of my son, who sometimes falls, and then stays down, and rolls around on the ground and just enjoys the view from down there. in no hurry to please anyone but himself. i'm with you--i hope i can do that some day. get past my fear of others.
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