Day 7: How to Get Unstuck

Yesterday rained, so today was Day 7 for playground-hopping. My son wanted to take me on a bike ride wherein he leads and I follow...wherever he goes. We got a nice ride in for about 20 minutes and then found our way to the Scramble in I'on. This playground was the inspiration for the one in my second novel, Trouble the Water, the one where Honor sits and watches the nannies and their kids, the place where she stands in the middle of  an overgrown circle of bamboo.
There were no nannies and the circle of bamboo has all been cut back.

We climbed up (using a rope) into this playground contraption, sort of a boat with slides, etc. Easy peasy. Next, son went around back to the tall climbing wall. Again there's a rope. I had no qualms about this at all. Having mastered the climbing wall at BigToy playground last week, I wasn't afraid. At all. There's a slight problem with this. Apparently, sometimes fear is good.

You see, I was able to climb UP to the top no problem, very quickly, I might add. The problem was in the completion of said climb. There's a tall (4 or 5 feet, is that tall?) jump down to the flooring of the equipment, but I got one leg over the wall, clutched on for dear life, and could not pass. My son is coaching me, saying, "go back down", but I teetered and tottered--I couldn't go back down. I couldn't move. The hard wood was hurting in all sorts of places, inner thigh and more intimate ones, and I was S-T-U-C-K. My sunglasses began to fall. I mean this when I say I almost started crying. Can you believe that? How can they have this for kids? Ahem, well, my son had no trouble getting over, he just jumped. Perhaps he had no fear. Perhaps my fear is what stopped me at the top? Still pondering this. How could I be scared over a little climbing wall on a kids' playground? But I was. You betcha. The only way down was to continue to excruciating slide down the 5 foot fall. I know what pain is. I work hard to avoid it.

My inner thigh will be bruised and unforgiving for a while, but I made it. Thank the Lord.

Really, anything we did after that was a cakewalk. Toe taps and step ups on mushrooms, push ups on picnic table, even the tire swing did not make me queasy today. Real progress. My son ran an obstacle course in and out of the circle of bamboo and I followed. We did "Swing Jump Ups" where your hands are on the swing and you jump. Up. Son likes to jump a lot. After having two children, jumping is usually last on my love-to-do list, but I did them anyway. He's my coach.

A successful bike ride home and 45 minutes of very active time for Mommy and child. I loved it. To top it all off, Son said as we pulled into the garage, "This was your Mother's Day surprise." I told him it was perfect, and I hope we can do it again tomorrow...because these trysts leave me feeling very un-stuck.