Today I decided to go rollerblading for the first time in the past month. I got them as a birthday gift at the beginning of the summer and went a lot before school started back up. I needed a break from the busy and overwhelming schedule that is my life. I had decided to follow advice a friend had given me recently. I was told that all my problems arose from thinking. Thinking stresses you out; thinking makes it impossible to live in the moment. I desperatly need to follow that advice as I let day to day stresses get to me and wear myself down.
I went rollerblading on one of portage’s many recreational trials. I started at Milham Park and went south to Celery Flats. As I sat in my car putting on my rollerblades I decided to forgo my usual music. I have a playlist that is full of loud and pump up music that I usually listen to when I work out. Today however I wasn’t rollerblading to get exercise, I was rollerblading to get away.
Rollerblading allows you to go fast without working very hard. I got into a rhythm with my body swaying as I changed the foot I pushed with as I glided down the trail. The sun filtered through the trees. The wind blew across rustling through the trees as well. When I got to a straight stretch I allowed myself to close my eyes. Sunlight flicked across my eye lids as I felt a sense of calm come over me. It was just me and my rollerblades taking a stroll through nature. The trail weaved next to the railroad tracks and Portage Creek. And I just kept going reaching Celery Flats and seating on a bench. I had just climbed a slight hill and was nervous about going back down it due to the fact that it had two curves as it flanked a pond. As I sat waiting for the people behind me to walk up it I looked around me. I had been here numerous times before. I grew up riding my bike on these trials with my family. And I smiled as my gaze came to rest on two kids playing on the small play set as their parents watched on. I got up as I prepared to take on this hill. It was exhilarating rolling down it, with my knees slightly bent as I bladed over cracks. It’s a great feeling to just let go and let your body take its self down that hill. Coming off it I kept up the speed as I pushed forward feeling relived that I didn’t crash and feeling in simple terms-happy.
The trail seemed to disappear underneath me faster going back then it did coming. Or maybe I was paying more attention the nature around me instead of the hard pavement I glided on. I saw three wild turkeys that I had heard scramble around the underbrush before even seeing them. I saw a blue jay and numerous other birds. I wasn’t thinking about anything; I was just observing. The strain on my legs was slowly becoming apparent and I made it to my car with slightly cramped legs having just rollerbladed at least 3 miles. As I drove home I opened up my windows and the wind blew in. Its rushing noise put me back on the trail and once again I was calm. I wasn’t calm with a decision I had made or the completion of homework. I was calm and at peace with the current moment that I was living. A moment I achieved by not thinking about anything at all.
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