Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Bounce Back

Toronto, Ontario

Be aware of black ice! I deliberately avoided the ravine, knowing it would be a slip-n-slide affair, but on upper ground level, I assumed it safe. I was wrong. I hit some of the stuff and made a landing flat on the back. Ouch. I picked myself back up to my feet. I would say I wasn’t prepared. With white ice you are psychologically ready for a fall as I have been for years in a stuntman fashion. I have actually taken pride in being able to do this. You fall and quickly shift yourself for landing with the cushion part of the body being the contact point. From there you spring back up, ready to move on.

All is fun when young. When you approach your late 50’s it’s a different story. Most of us are not like strong man Bellini who recently died at 104 when tragically hit by a van in New York. He was a vegetarian and even in his later years could bend coins with his teeth, so the news reported.

The term ‘fall down’ is something that is used frequently enough in devotee circles. It usually refers to someone of spiritual status who is confronted with a dark hour and slips from standards of principles which were once well upheld. It is commonly the sexual push or the craving for past intoxication lures that nabs people.

Gurus usually advise that one who reaches a weak moment can simply pick himself or herself up and move ahead. The main point is to never give up. Had I just remained lying on the slimy black ice, I would be a quitter, and that we should never be under any circumstance.

9 Km