LJ Idol Topic 10: Icarus

[zaichikarky]

Higher, Higher, Higher! I chanted to myself, pumping my legs up and down. This time, I would really do it. I would leap off from the absolute apex. I had been practicing by jumping from small distances. I handled that fine, landing perfectly on my feet every time. Other kids would do it too, but none from the highest part of the swing. I pumped my legs faster and faster.

I could hear the bell ring and kids start to leave the playground. This was my last chance! As soon as I reached the apex of the swing, I let go. My heart thumped wildly with adrenaline as I flew 20 feet through the air, but my feelings of excitement soon gave way to sheer terror. Something was wrong. My feet weren't in the position to land properly. I flailed wildly but it was too late.

I found myself belly flop into the sand, getting the wind knocked out of me. Ohhhrrr I moaned, scrunching myself into a fetal position.

"That... was not a good idea." My classmate said to me as she walked back to class.

You think!? I managed to pull myself up, brush the sand off me, and stagger back to class, alone.

What irks me most about that horrid mishap with the swing is that at least she could have helped me up, or asked if I was okay. Anything by the snotty better than though remark she gave me. Looking back at it, I think maybe it was a good thing that I landed on my stomach instead of my feet. I did get the wind knocked out of me, but no lasting injuries at all. Had I managed to land on my feet after soaring such a great height, I could have very well twisted or even broken my ankles.

Sadly, this was not my last swing-related blunder. Two years later, when I was 10 years old my grandma took me to the park where I guess all the big kid swings were taken, so I decided it would be a great idea to get into one of those baby diaper-like swings. Usually I would stand on them and swing around that way, but I began to wonder if I would still fit into them. Really, no kid over the age of 4 belongs in those swings and I found that out the hard way.

I pulled my legs through the holes and sat down. The swing-diaper was way too tight of a fit as my thighs began to hurt like crazy. Ok I had enough of that, it was "Not a good idea" as I had been told. Time to get out... but I was stuck. I pulled and pulled but I could not hoist myself out of that rubber diaper.

My grandma soon appeared and started scolding me. "Liza what are you doing? Why did you climb in there when you're too big for that?" She started tugging on me and even with her help, I couldn't get out. She doesn't know how to speak English, so she couldn't really ask for help, but there were enough parents on the playground to notice a grandma trying to pull her silly grandkid from the swing she was stuck in. It took three adults to heave me out of there, but I finally was pulled free. Another swift recovery and I found myself climbing on the rope tower moments later.

Just today, I went to the park alone. I spent several minutes on the swing set before I jumped off- though this time only about 5 feet into the air. My ankles aren't really meant to land even such a small flight but I do it anyway. Sometimes it's ok to fly, but maybe not too high. You just may end up belly flopping into the sea of sand.

Comments

[purplehaze9.livejournal.com]

This strikes a cord with me as head trauma caused by a fall from a swing set resulted in my epilepsy. So, I know plenty about hitting your head on things and falling a bunch when on and off a swing.

Nice story. I bet you were a cute baby.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Oh wow I had no idea that epilepsy could start with something like head trauma. I thought it was just a natural "defect" that developed sometime in childhood.

Hehe, I was more a stupid kid. This took place when I was 8 and 10 years old.

[purplehaze9.livejournal.com]

Yup. Fell backwards head first on the crown (a.k.a. soft spot) of my head when I tried to jump off the swing at its peak. Was 11 years old at the time.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

OUCH. Yeah I guess you just reaffirmed that a lot worse could have happened . I was thinking of breaking a leg or ankle or something, not breaking my head. It's really unfortunate that you have to deal with your childhood blunder for the rest of your life. Most kids that age think they're indestructible until something like that happens : (.

[liret.livejournal.com]

I got stuck in the kiddie-swings too, once. I don't even remember how my grandmother got me out.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Your grandma must have been much stronger than mine lol.

[basric.livejournal.com]

And people wonder why there are helmet laws and sea tbelt. I've seen people whose epilepsy began after a fender bender where their head hit the dashboard. A very informative well written entry. I love your last paragraph.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeah I've run into my own trouble with the helmet laws. I guess I could have also written about that. It ended with a day to court with dad... not really fun >_>.

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

I never had the courage to jump from the swings, but I did swing as high and fast as I could!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

I still love going on swings to this day : ).

[dizzy-writing.livejournal.com]

I really relate to this entry, I used to jump off the swings all the time :D Quite a few times I bruised ribs and sprained various joints, but always went back for more. Flying was worth landing :D

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

WOOW you really were a lot braver than me. It took one kerplunk for me to stop jumping off the peak of them.

[redvelvetgrrl.livejournal.com]

I have always been too chicken to jump off the swing! I'm glad you're still swinging and jumping though!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeah I still go over to the park from time to time and play on the swings. Probably do that in a couple hours actually... lol. I really should stop jumping off them, though, because even if it's such a small jump it's a lot more weight on my ankles and it just can't be good for them :|.

[myrna-bird.livejournal.com]

What a great little daredevil story from your childhood.
Good job!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I never had the guts to jump from a swing, but I always swung as high as I could!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

You still flew! Even if you didn't let go. hehe.

[dreamchaser.livejournal.com]

I remember jumping off of swings as a kid, too!!!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeah it was fun!!

[sweeny-todd.livejournal.com]

hah. I totally understand that feeling on the swings!

nicely told.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Everyone likes flying through the air in swings, whether you let go or not :).

[wyliekat.livejournal.com]

What a nice prompt for childhood memories. I have no idea, thinking back, how we spend could spend so many hours on swings. Yet we all did.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

I was so bummed out when I got to middle school and there was no longer a playground for me to run around on... but I just ran around the school grounds instead XD. I still think I'm never too big for swings :3. Now I'm just afraid of them breaking under my weight but... it hasn't happened so far. I do think I'm too old for the slide because I can't really fit down it anymore.

[wyliekat.livejournal.com]

I think that's the rule - if you can't make yourself fit into it, it's not for you anymore.

[worldofcharlie.livejournal.com]

Wow...so...you liked getting into trouble??? :)

Nice story....

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

HAH that's not even the beginning of all the trouble I got into around that age. There was the time my friend and I threw a water-filled condom into her complex swimming pool, and concocted some kind of "poison" to set on her neighbor's door. We barely managed to escape consequences both those times XD;.

[worldofcharlie.livejournal.com]

LMAO

Bio brother did something similar when bio mom was selling the house...when folks came over to look at the place - he filled up condoms with water and dropped them off the front balcony...

He was in deep shit right after...

Yes...they bought the house...in spite of that...

[joeymichaels.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, I think its a miracle I survive any of the playgrounds from my youth. I well remember the thrill of leaping off swings at tremendous heights, or spinning the "merry-go-round" thing as fast as possible to see how many kids went flying off of it due to centrifugal force, or going head first down the hot metal slide. Ah, good times indeed.

I like that flying too close to the sun made a connection with swinging as high as you could. Smart thought! Well done!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeah I've learned that not all kids got away with just scrapes and bruises. purplehaze9 ended up with epilepsy after landing on his head :|. But ok the image of kids flying off the merry-go-round really made me laugh XD. I bet they loved every second of it though. HAHA.

[joeymichaels.livejournal.com]

Holy cats, we loved that. We'd all fly into the sand and concrete and vomit somewhere. The last kid who hung on usually vomited in every direction at once.

Somehow, on our playground, throwing up became the barometer by which we measured whether we had a good time or not. :O

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd that's so hardcore XD.

[momebie.livejournal.com]

I just remember trying to swing the swings high enough to go all the way around. Good thing none of us ever figured that one out! It would have been more than our bellies that hurt.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeaah that sounds pretty scary!!

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

Very well told - it evoked lovely childhood memories for me, too!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Thank you : ). I love swings!

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

lol... oh haven't we all had swing mishaps like that in our wild and impetuous younger days. :-p But I still love swings... even today. I love that feeling of flying and jumping out and that moment of weightlessness... it's awesome. Glad you didn't suffer any permanent damage though!

Wonderful piece. :-)

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeah as I learned, not everyone had the pleasure of getting away scott- free from their youth mishaps. Made me realize how lucky I was. I'm glad I'm not the only one who still enjoys swinging : ).

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

Oh, the swing-diapers. Never heard that name for them before, but it fits. :)

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Yeah I made that up. They look like a giant rubber diaper, so I thought it was fitting XD.

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

Great entry. Boy that was rude of that other girl to sound snotty and then just leave you.

I love swinging.

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

Hah you're the first one to mention the snotty girl. It's probably the main reason I remember that incident so well, because of her remark at the end of it.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I love swinging, but I was never a jumper - too scared!

[majesticzaichik.livejournal.com]

That was probably for the best!