I loved elementary school growing up. Loved it. I even liked PE. I did not, however, care for Dodgeball. It always made me anxious. It made me feel like I was in the crosshairs.
In a lot of ways, I guess I still feel that way. Even though I am forty, I still worry about juggling all of life's commitments and requirements and necessities. I still get that anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about something I needed to do...or can't afford to do...or simply wish I could do (but feel like I crappy mother/wife/sister/friend because I can't do it).
I was talking to a dear friend the other day and I mentioned how in some ways, with some people, we would always be 10 years old. Like when you go home for the holidays and no one takes you seriously, or recognizes your accomplishments, or that you actually do know what you're talking about.
For some people, I will always be ten years old--with hair forever in need of brushing, and braces, with her nose stuck in a book. In many ways, I guess I still see myself that way...
...and I can hear the whiz of the ball as it just barely misses me.
I don't get to feel like a 10-year-old very often, but I'm constantly surprised that I am classified as an adult. Every time I remember I'm supposed to be someone's mother, I can't believe it. I told my mother about that feeling once when my daughter was little, and asked her when she started feeling like a grown-up who should be confidently in charge. She told me she'd let me know if it ever happened. I'm still waiting to hear back on it. :D
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I'm the youngest of three, and despite the fact that I'm the most educated of all three, sometimes I'll never get older than the time my horse rolled in front of the judge at a horse show. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteTry being the only adult in a junior game of Dodgeball. You're just too big a target to resist for the opposition. OUCH!
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