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Jul
22
Too Big Too Ride
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We made it to Cali. I’m at my sister’s house right now and I’m seriously typing this outside, on a laptop, by the pool– I feel like a professional writer.
Yesterday my wife and I took our kids to an amusement park called Great America; it was the place to be in my youth–a great paradise of adolescent joy. Yesterday it seemed small and expensive, but my kids really liked it. My son and daughter conquered their first real roller coaster–The Grizzly.
I was proud of them–I’ve known the Grizzly from my past; I never road it. I remember when I was in high school, they had just added it to the roller coaster lineup at the park. My friends and I all went to give it a try–the line was like an infinite centipede of teenage-roller-coaster angst. Two hours later we made it to the ride. I get into a car by my self, reach for the strap–nope–suck in–nope–too much ass and thigh.
“I’m sorry Sir,” The ride operator no older than me said, “you’ll have to exit the ride.” Oh shit, too big to ride–man, I was embarrassed. Some people snickered, my boys were pissed, and threatened to boycott the ride (that’s why I loved them). I got off. I told them to stay–and life went on.
The reason I’m writing about this is because while I was waiting for my kids to ride (I’m still too big to ride; I didn’t even try this time, but I’m too old to ride now anyway, wasn’t even interested in it, honestly), but while I was waiting, a group of kids all wearing the same T-shirts , single-filed their way past the “too short to ride” sign. Three of them were too short and had to wait with their counselor while everyone one else rode.
I felt bad for the kids. It wasn’t like they lacked the courage to ride; they only lacked the height.
Of course this story has ties to jiu-jitsu and what I realized at that moment was that jiu-jitsu wasn’t like this roller coaster; it wasn’t like any of the rides that had restrictions based on size. Jiu-jitsu is all-inclusive. Anyone can ride if they have the courage–too big, too small, one leg or none. That’s the beauty of my art–that’s the beauty of jiu-jitsu–all you have to do is have the desire to ride and you can.
They teach jiujitsu to one legged people? WHO could that be!??!
Thank you:) My day just got better.