So, I was sitting atop the half pipe with Ez contemplating what i could possibly come up with for my first SoulePapa post. Adelaide, worn out from scaling ramps and toddling rough-shod through a host of wheeled travelers, was sleeping comfortably in the van. Alternating from scooter to skateboard and back again, Calvin was content to be coasting across wood and pavement, fixated on his turns. I watched a young girl practicing her drop ins, each culminating in disjointed wipe outs of the heartiest variety. A teenage kid off in the corner of the parking lot, dressed all in black, doing these goofy, ollie/360 whirlybird things the likes of which I've never seen. The most accomplished skater of the day, a heavy set fellow with wild, curly black hair and a big smile, ground his way through the park, commanding attention with the sheer size of his movements. I brought my focus back to Ezra, hat pulled low on his head, nibbling his hair and watching his big brother ride. Calvin hopped off the pipe onto the pavement. His board, biting hard, catapulted him into a heap of 5 year old ecstasy. He popped up without fanfare and continued. He looked back at me and laughed when the young girl finally nailed a drop in and threw her fist in the air "yeah"!. I didn't see her miss again all day. We pulled our feet back off the lip as the big kid with the black hair wound around the halfpipe, catching air at each turn. He faltered only briefly and came crashing down hard on his back and head. Wincing, he got up and limped bravely back to the line-up as his friends seemed to calculate his reaction. A woman who had been sitting on the curb watching the action stood and walked toward him, "are you ok"? hunched over, he nodded yes. His mom.
Now I'm home and typing with a two fingered fervor. The kids are asleep. Calvin's legs and arms are covered with bruises. Adelaide bit a gash in her lower lip on one of a dozen or so tumbles of the day. Ezra lives in a constant state of flux between earthly harmony and the pain of a 3 year old's failures and frustrations.
I may be the Papa but they are my role models.
I am so blessed to be where I am.
Work hard Amanda - it's going to be beautiful. Like you.
