Today, My Happiness is…Having Learned to Fall!
Yesterday, I was out for a run, and I took a tumble. Right foot extending, but caught up short on an uneven sidewalk. And toppling over head I went.
A second later, I was returning to a standing position. In that split second, I had broken my fall by tucking and rolling over my shoulders, where my left hand and leg then contacted the sidewalk, channeling my momentum to carry me upright back to my feet.
A rolling forward breakfall. Ukemi–judo breakfall techniques. When I studied judo, the first thing I was taught was how to break my fall. We started by lying on the mat, and swinging our legs up and to the side, in order to time hitting the mat simultaneously with our arm, hand, and leg of one side of our body, and the flat foot of the other side. Again and again. One side, then the other.
Eventually, we did our side falls from a standing position. Again, many repetitions. Next, from our knees, we rolled over our head and then broke our fall. Again and again. Finally, standing and doing the forward rolling breakfall.
It took many hours of practice to get to this stage. We still hadn’t played with another judoka; we hadn’t learned any throws. All we had done was practiced falling.
What’s my point? It was all that practice and preparation for falling that made it instinctive; second nature; a reaction of my body without my mind taking the time to think.
I’ve had a busy couple weeks, and there is much change in my life. Continued training as a life coach, adoption classes, coaching, family, parenting, friendships. It seems in all these endeavors something consistently comes up. Struggles, challenges, and falls. In each of these avenues, the advice I am being given, by people I respect, is not how to avoid the struggles, challenges, and falls.
The magic is to have the flexibility, humor, patience, and character to fall. Fall and get up. Again and again. To not fear the fall.
So, yesterday I fell while I ran. Today, I ran again.
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