I bought new roller skates last week. They arrived at my home while I was at work. I put them on right away and went outside to try them out. It was a humbling experience. I hadn’t been on skates in more than thirty years. I set out to skate around my sub division by taking a step outside my garage with my skates on. My street is quiet and most of my neighbors don ‘t travel in the evenings so I had the street to myself. That’s great for safety’s sake and it spared me some embarrassment.

My driveway has a decline that I don’t think about unless there is ice or snow on the ground. I flew down my driveway and fell at the end. My new skates were scraped and marked by asphalt after having them on for about ten minutes and I hurt myself and my pride.

After struggling to get to my feet at the end of my driveway I set off to continue skating. I never realized that I live on top of a gently sloping hill until I tried to skate down the street. I flew down the street and into a perpendicular intersection on my skates. I was unable to stop until I aimed myself into my neighbor’s lawn at the bottom of the hill. Their lawn was my first opportunity to stop after speeding into the T intersection.

I laid on my neighbor’s lawn for a minute or two, collected myself and continued to skate down the road which as another hill. I got to the end of the cul de sac and barreled into another lawn. I picked myself up again and wobbly made my way up the hill and back to my house.

The entire experience lasted no longer than thirty minutes. I was shook and sore. I recalled my youthful days of skating at the roller rink. I don’t remember learning to skate or having an major falls. I felt very old.

I watched a few You Tube videos about skating and learning how to stop, particularly downhill out doors. There is a lot of good information out there. I was encouraged by the commenters. I guess it’s common to get to middle age and decide to skate after not skating since your teens. There were many that had similar experiences to mine.

I went to Walmart and got some safety gear. I bought a helmet for around $20 and a set of knee and elbow pads and wrist guards for about $15. The safety equipment is worth the money. Even if it was more expensive it’s cheaper than hospital bills and time off work. It helps me to be more confident because the fear of injury is reduced.

I’ve been on my skates a few times this week and I’ve already improved but I’m still wobbly and I need to work on stopping myself. I’ll give myself a pat on the back because yesterday I got down the driveway and maintained some control over myself. It was slow and clumsey but I’ll work on it. Out door skating is a great work out even if I’m not very graceful.