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LJ Idol Topic 10: Icarus
Jan. 22nd, 2011 12:01 am 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.
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.
