Tumbling into Words

As a child, I loved gymnastics! My Mom said she would more than likely see me cartwheeling and rolling everywhere instead of walking. I still remember that feeling of wonder as I rolled around and around and saw the world as a blur of tumbles when the ground was upside down for a second before it was righted again. I also remember being so dizzy after tumbling around that when I went to stand up, there was usually a momentary shift in my balance, and I loved that feeling!

Since then, it has been a challenge to find something that inspires that same kind of passion and obsession. I can no longer turn a cartwheel but I still remember the feeling of pure happiness as I tumbled around everywhere. For me, gymnastics wasn’t just an activity; it was something that was part of me.

It reminds me of a story a guest speaker at my church told. He was once a teller at a bank and got to know a regular who would come in, an older man who would get frustrated and embarrassed when his hand shook as he wrote out his deposit slip. The speaker said that he could not understand why this man was so frustrated since many elderly customers had unsteady hands, that is, until one of his last days of work when the gentleman gave him a manilla folder.

Inside this folder was a gift, beautiful sketches of places drawn by this same older man who could barely write without his hand trembling uncontrollably. This older man got frustrated because he knew what unique gift of art he could once do with his hands. When he could no longer do that, he lost a part of who he was, and the loss was devastating to him.

I am okay with not being able to do gymnastics anymore because as I have gotten older, one thing has become a part of me, one thing that I think about often as I go about my day, one thing that if I could no longer do, it would be devastating to me—write! 

Over the years, I may have lost a bit of my wit and ability to communicate well verbally, and that’s okay because I can write! As I write, I lose track of time, and everything around me becomes a blur; it is just me, my keyboard, and the words I am trying to find. When writing, I feel happy, focused, and hopeful. It is one activity that is truly a part of who I am and has been for a long time, starting with an assignment in tenth grade to write a haiku. 

The only difference between loving gymnastics as a child and writing as an adult is that, as a child, gymnastics was all about myself. I am sure I nearly tumbled over my siblings and friends numerous times because I was so lost in what I was doing. Writing, however, is an activity I get to share with others. I get excited when I learn something new and look forward to writing about it! Every sentence is a way to communicate, and every paragraph is a chance to connect. I may have lost myself in gymnastics, but I get to share myself when I write. I know which one I prefer.