Figure skating

January 6, 2019

Step aside Dorothy Hamill; forget Nancy Kerrigan. They were nothing compared to the Pearson sisters in the winter.
The rain gutters on the house we lived in on 28th St dropped excess water. It made a huge puddle on the walkway between the front and rear doors. No one walked on that area because using the rear door led to the yard and garage and the front door led straight off the porch and to the street. So in the winter, the sunlight and melting snow created an ice rink of sorts that there was no use salting, because no one walked there.
However, you could run down the walk from the rear of the house, hit the ice with a well placed boot and gently glide three feet into the waiting snowbank. Yes, we switched feet, waved our arms blanketed in heavy coats and winter gear  and plopped like falling rocks, laughing and pretending we got perfect scores.
It was just imagination run wild. We thought we were in white skates, cute skirts and landing jumps like the pros.
In retrospect, it may seem pretty lame, but we didn’t spend our time in front of the computer or tv. We didn’t play interactive video games joining hundreds of people in make believe worlds. We went outside in the real world and created a different world no one else would share. You may not understand, but that’s ok. Because I do.