Life Alert

Not four score but definitely seven(ish) years ago I earned a nickname for myself by doing an epic slide-fall across a gymnasium floor. 

It was just after a MOPS meeting that day and I was returning from taking a load to my car.  I walked through the first door onto a floor mat, through the second door onto the gym floor and was about three steps in when my body began a slow and graceful decline toward the floor.  Shocked but unhurt I had time to think  "whew, at least no one saw me" before hearing a sarcastic voice behind me say "Hey Life Alert!"

And thus began a friendship built on mutual sarcasm and motherhood.

It wasn't too long after that slide-fall that I majorly broke my toe via a wall and spent a winter wearing one of these puppies:

Good times!

I've lost track of the number of self inflicted injuries that I have shared with her over the years and being the faithful and true friend that she is she never forgets to remind me of my nickname.

Fast forward to earlier this week when the girls and I went cross country skiing.  I haven't skied in quite some time (what I really mean is 20+ years) and my body was smaller and much more cooperative then.  After spending the last year being intentional about physical strength rather than the number on the scale, when the opportunity to join our homeschool group for the day came along I decided to go for it.

Boots, ski's, two poles and my pride in place we set off on a half mile loop.  At first I hung back because Smiley Girl was starting slow but once she caught on it was clear that I was the slow poke.  One of the moms took pity on me, hanging back, giving helpful tips and providing great company.   And to my surprise we reached the end of the loop prior to my demise. 😂

Off the group went again, around the loop and by this point I was determined to take my time and do it well, no matter how long it took.  But gliding along and lost in my thoughts I eventually took a spill.  Alone on the loop at this point, I had a quick mental chat with myself "Look, you can give up, lay here and freeze to death (I may be a little dramatic) or you can get yourself up, brush yourself off and do what you came out here to do." 

So that's what I did - the getting up part, not the freezing to death part. Ha!  And after a surprisingly easy time of getting back up I took  two...possibly three steps (slides? glides?) and landed right back on my tush!

A quick system survey told me that my pride and my pole were injured so I did what anyone would do, popped the skis off and set off on foot.  Except that would have been too easy - using the pole to release your boot only works well when you are standing - so it looked a little more like a woman sitting on the track praying that no one came along to see her removing her boots and THEN removing the boot from the skis.

All in all, it was a great day.  The weather was gorgeous, we were out of the house and with friends we haven't seen in a while.  The girls went on to do another track with a friend while I turned in my bent pole and changed into dry pants.

Afterward we found an indoor seating restaurant (a rarity in Michigan after months of shutdowns that have decimated our restaurant industry) and enjoyed lunch with friends.

I did take a minute to shoot a picture of me and my bent pole off to my sarcastic friend.  Her immediate reply was an encouraging "Yay!"  Followed by "Bahahahahaha!  Life Alert!"

The moral to this story is twofold.  One...you are never too old or out of shape to try hard things and Two...nicknames are hard to live down.

I'm so thankful for friends!