No retreat. No surrender.
Early. Just before daybreak. They can be spotted: The Fallen.
Shy creatures. As if aware of judgmental looks. Sensitive.
Heads down as they slowly wobble down their predetermined path.
Little eye contact with dog walkers and their charges.
Self conscious of what they have become.
Undercover of dawn’s soft light, they venture out. ©
Dogs rarely bother to take note.
A young pup might take a step in their direction.
Nose reaching in universal unconditional acceptance. Offering a rare kindness.
Abruptly pulled back.
Don’t bother The Fallen.
Some wordlessly cross to the other side.
Moving past as rapidly as possible.
Shadows disappearing.
Hope eternal for The Fallen.
When? When release? A doctor’s smile. A well is done.
This bandaged knee. This wrist wrapped. This tender hip hopping. This shoulder rotating not.
The list of annoyingly uncooperative body parts seemingly endless.
Step this way and be healed. (MGM/USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
They are The Fallen. Walking their way back. One lurching step at a time.
Filling early morning sidewalks with an army of walking wounded.
Seriously, isn’t it time to shelve the roller blades and give up Monday night dodge ball?
“The wisest are those who are the most annoyed at the passing of time.” (Dante)
“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.” (George Bernard Shaw)
Skipping,
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Getting a kick out of things. (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
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16 Comments
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
Ah. I feel that post. (>8 words;))
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Personal experience creates understanding. Measured response appreciated.(Whew. Maybe 8-10? Real possibility for summer)
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Bit more challenging than Twitter 😀
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Research says brains crave novelty.
Time management tool. 🙂
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No roller blades for me. Wouldn’t matter how old I was–my inability to turn corners on skates would do me in!
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Light poles and stop sign poles are wonderful corner assists ( like in the cartoons as characters spin around…yeah that’s why all the family worries even with all the padding.) The best time for roller blading is after that first real cold front in the autumn (can’t use “fall” anywhere near roller blades) when the kids are back in school and the moms all happily at the mall. Open roads. Eye to the future, 4 wheeled skates might be considered…remember the clamp ons? Sigh. We always wanted the “expensive” classic lace ups – which would protect ankles. Thanks for rolling in to chat
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Use it or lose it we say… for my part I never ever found the ability to roller skate-blade but I’m envious of those who do, and one of the things I do love about the extra candles on my birthday cake is I care so much less about what I should do, and more about what I want to 🙂
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After watching all my very elderly, yet quite active relatives, it appears you need to keep moving – even if it’s walking laps in the house ( for one 100 year old, the summer heat got to be too much). We should make a birthday cake run…not sure if we eat the cake before or after. Molly Malamute doesn’t care as long as she gets to go, too. Thanks for dancing along
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If we were meant to skate we would have been born with wheels! No dangerous sports for me, oh wait, horses aren’t terribly safe…
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And to think we used to ride bareback, barefooted, and heads bare as well. The worst was when they’d decide they had had enough and run under low branches trying to brush us off or head straight into the tank full of water and try to float us off (no luck with that – seen far too many western movies!)
Glad you decided to hit the trail and ride over here!
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Oh those low branches!!
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Don’t forget the tall briars and brambles, either. Bare legs ouchies…how come those never deterred a horse?
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No wheels like that for me. I prefer to mosey along through life, feet firmly on ground, pace measured… drink in hand!
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Sounds like one of those new hoverboards would be perfect for you…it’s by Lexus – bound to have cup holders! Float free and easy – so stately that garden butterflies would be envious. Hmmm, let’s order several. Thanks for sauntering this way
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I’ve never even attempted to roller blade. Ice skating was hard enough for me, so I thought I’d save myself some nasty bruises and broken bones!
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You get to wear more protective gear with roller blades…I could probably pass for one of those practice victims for attack dogs. Ice skating – no easy way to get back up after a crash if you’re away from the rink edge. And here everyone wears those cute unprotecting outfits.The graceful little kids make me feel like a jumbo klutz. With the summer, sauntering on the sidewalk is about enough of an adventure. Thanks for sliding a comment in.
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