P-O'd

Having smashed my ankle up... twice in the last month, leaving me one limping angry malfunction of an invalid, it's been taking some time to get it back up and running full force. It's slowing me down, big time. I feel I am falling behind.

And fear now grips...it's like an overtight tensor bandage that you can't yank off, digging in and suffocating the blood right out from under your skin, your toes are turning blue...

Fear of falling, fear of corners. Especially those corners on the slippery wooden gym floors, with our coach screaming "Run! Run! Don't stop running! You're not running! RUN ON THOSE SKATES! RUN!!!" and your brain telling you "ANY SECOND now you are just going to LOSE IT and go flying into the wall, rupturing your ankle into a million splinters on the way down, never to skate on it again. Of course, it does feel a whole lot nicer falling on wooden floors, over the unforgiving cement. BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT! I used to be fearless! Alright, way closer to fearless than I am right now!

Our coach gave us a speech on this fear, how it isn't getting us anywhere and we need to really push ourselves...basically: get the F over it! He's been brutally honest and his words are sticking.

I'm pissed though. At my ankle, at myself.

On another note, I think I've pulled or torn the back of my knee... I've got a nice circular red burst of something...blood vessel? The bruises are piling on...I'm still upset at my perma-bruise, the road rash from summer that's healed into a beautiful scar on the front of my leg. Just lovely in a dress! It's a good thing I'm so angry, because this is the perfect sport for me.

GRRRRRROOOWWWLLL!

But I'm not a quitter.

And all in all, I think I did pretty well this morning and last night. I did push myself. I did try. I stumbled, It gave, I fell, I panted, I nearly drowned in my sweat, I burned, I hurt, I yelled obscentities in my head, I was nowhere near the time I should be...it made me want to punch walls and spit blood but I made it to the end and the ankle is all the more stronger.

One day at a time woman, one day at a time!

Amen.

Cement Kissed

In the beginning, there were broken bones, cracked skulls, visits to ER and trips to the morgue. There were splintered wrists, smashed up knees, collapsed temporals and well, brains all over the cement.

Then... God created the helmet, the knee pads, the wrist guards and the elbow pads. All of this was done on the first day after.

Daily, we thank Him for his ingenuity as we take off in a mad dash, colliding into bodies at unbelievable speed. We catapult through the air not knowing which way is up or which is down, crash landing into the unforgiving cement. Our breath escapes in a whoosh and our eyes are thrown back into the cavernous pockets of our heads. A shock escapes the lips of observers as we lie there on the ground, stunned & speechless for a moment and gather our wits. But we don't give up. We get up.

Roller Derby. This ain't no game for pussies.

That which does not kill me makes me stronger ~ Nietzsche