There’s a new activity I’m interested in doing on a regular basis- I can’t stop thinking about it, planning where to go, it’s even part of my dreams more often than not lately. But I’m not allowed to get back on roller skates until the doctors deem I’m completely recovered from the concussion – sigh – (of course). So, next best thing (can’t watch tutorials or things about it right now yet either) is practicing in my socks on the wood floor, and reading books, of course! I looked up everything my library has on the subject. It’s not much. Going to read them all. Starting with the easy, simple books and working up to actual novels- that’s just how my brain can handle things right now.
This first choice was not the greatest. It’s not about skating. It just features a bunch of things that terrify young kids- some with very good reason- lke getting a vaccination, realizing your mother doesn’t know where she parked the car in a huge lot, suddenly coming to close quarters with a bee- and some purely emotional- thinking everyone is laughing at you, getting caught telling a lie. And others just silly- imagining a giant bird will suddenly carry you away. Or getting stuck in an art museum with a bunch of adults (ha). And then there’s roller skating. The only reason this book came up in my search was because skating is mentioned in the book summary- and it must have featured large in the artist’s mind, because it’s one of the few scary things that gets a double-page spread illustration: a kid just a blur of motion zooming down an incline with a look of shock and horror on their face: Skating downhill when you haven’t learned how to stop is scary.
Yep, it sure is! I crashed myself to a stop on the gravel verge of a hill when I was a kid. I had those metal skates that screw onto your shoes, and nobody showed me how to use them (I don’t think I even knew there was any proper technique). Walking home around the whole block with bloody knees put me off skating for a long time.
Until now. But kind of ironic that the first book I pick up that mentions skating has such a negative take on it.
Borrowed from the public library.
