Skip It!

Spent most of this hot, sunny July day indoors. I got my rent together to give to my landlady and did some computer stuff this morning before work, then worked from 11 to 5. Thankfully, that's the longest I work this week. It was steady-to-dead except for during the usual 4-5PM rush hour. There were a few annoying people, but given this is the beginning of the month, it could have been a lot worse. They must all be waiting for the long holiday weekend.

I wanted to spend some time outdoors before dinner, but I didn't really feel like going for a swim or a walk. I decided to try something fast and a little different. I bought a good, made-for-gyms jump rope from the thrift shop two years ago, but never tried it thanks to my knee injuries. It's been hanging in my living room closet ever since. I decided today would be a great day to give it a shot, just for twenty minutes before dinner.

It's been years since I jumped rope. I was never very good at it. I used to try it all the time in Cape May Elementary, but it just seemed to be another thing that everyone else could do better than me. I'd show how well I could jump...than another kid would take the rope and do it three times as well, and I'd just end up feeling silly and embarrassed. I just wasn't as good as the other kids.

It's only recently that I could do many activities, such as swimming or running around the block, without the voice of an obnoxious-but-well-meaning gym teacher in my head. I know I've let this critical voice linger for so long, but they've always seemed to be so right. Why CAN'T I do what other people can do easily? Why AM I so clumsy? The only thing I could ever do was write.

I did as well as I could. I jumped in place on my porch, than skipped and ran around the VFW parking lot, then up and down the street. I'm still not great, and I can't do it more than 20 times without it getting caught on my foot or something, but I still had a nice workout. I think I'll do it again whenever I want to do something active but don't have the time for a walk or a swim. It'll be nice in the winter, too - it's something I can do near-by and in any clothing.