Night after night after night after night I would hear banging and bumping from the downstairs of the house. The noise would even take place all night some nights. Four o’clock in the morning – Bang! Thump! Boom!
This went on for a few years. But, after years of practice, my son is able to do things with his body that most of us dream of being able to do. We watch these people dance, spin on their heads, hop on one hand and say “Wow, wish I could do that” and “They make it look so easy.”
They make it look easy because it has become easy. It’s part of their body and the way it moves and breathes. They’ve made it so. All those years of practice paid off for him and others like him - and continue to pay off. Once you learn something to the point that it has become part of you, it never goes away. Like they say, once you learn how to ride a bike, you can always ride a bike. If you stop doing it or using that talent, it may get just a little rusty, but it’s never gone. What you have grown into your body and mind cannot be taken away by anyone outside of you.
My son spent countless years honing his athletic and gymnastic skills. When he was five, he’d yell “Hey Mom! Watch this!”
Then there’s a back flip off of a picnic table. My heart would always drop.
“Oh my God! Don’t do that! You could hurt yourself!” yelled by a Mom fearful of a cracked head and broken bones.
My son was preparing his body to be this graceful yet powerful machine that can do amazing things, even despite his fearful Mom’s protests. I merely taught him not to do those kinds of things around me. Eventually I enrolled him in dance courses, martial arts and gymnastics so he could at least continue to pursue these things with professional guidance.
As he got older I learned that “Hey Mom, watch this!” did not have to be such a fearful thing. His body moved with such grace and style. He got “it.” His body and mind knew what was happening and what needed to happen in order to do the expression that he wanted to express.
I’ve decided that I am going to acquire new skills. I want these things to be part of my very being. I will start small, start easy and build from there. Instead of letting time continue to “whoosh” past me, I’m going to harness it and use it – even if it’s just five devoted minutes a day. I will take those minutes and spend them to develop new skills and to allow myself to grow. So, one day I’ll be able to say to my son – “Hey, watch this!”
