In-line skate memories
It all started in May 1998, a couple of weeks before my 11th birthday, in the sporting goods store where I bought my first (and only) pair of in-line skates.
I had absolutely no idea how to use those, i don’t even remember the reason why I wanted such a present. To overcome my ignorance I did the only thing a child growing in a family like mine would do if wants to learn something new: buying a book where there are explained the basic techniques, in this case, of the use of in-line skates.
I spent only-God-knows how many hours skating in the car parking area, that is few square meters wide. The same area that I can see from my window in this moment.
I spent much of that time, alone, dreaming about how beautiful would have been if I were an older boy that could go out on his in-line skates through the city streets, or using them in a big park “like those ones I see in American telefilms”.
In the later months I often asked to my parents to bring me to the parks that you could have found in Catania 12-13 years ago.
I wished I had friends to go out with. A couple of time I went out to use my in-line skates with a group of classmates, but still we all were with parents looking after us (It’s ok, we were only 11-12yo kids in a not-exactly-safe city).
I can’t even remember the numbers of times I told myself: “when I’ll be older I learn the advanced techniques from a group of loyal friends”. It of course never happened, even because for “health issues” I had to stop any activity that was more difficult than walking, studying and breathing.
All with with bunch of other memories about those dreams came back when, a few days ago, the webmaster posted something on his blog taking inspiration about what once I told him about my few months long passion for in-line skates. (Follow this link if you want to read his post and if you are able to understand italian)
I don’t remember which was the occasion, but I told him about my passion and about my tenacity of that age. I didn’t just learn to use them(that’s easy) but, each time I happened to fall I was always ready to get up and go back skating for a few minutes, trying to ignore the slight pain caused by the fall (of course it never was that terrible)…I behaved so even the time I broke my right knee-pad. Why? Not because I was brave. The reason was that I just didn’t want that the fear of the fall would overcome me, I didn’t want to let this terrible and blocking fear spreading in my hearth.
Today those tender dreams makes me smile, but at the same time I found mysel sadly amazed about… myself.
I realized that I no longer have such tenacity with my studies and my life in general. I ended my “thoughts about the in-line skates” wondering if I were wiser at the age of 11 than, today, at the age of 23.
Who knows if I’ll be able to get back…
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Tags: being, Dreams, family, past, People, Studying physics side effects, Thoughts, webmaster