Skinned Knees

Growing up I was quite the tom boy. I was always busting myself up.  There was the time I rode my bike face first into my neighbor's hollow tile, the time I went down the hill no hands no feet and bit it right at the bottom, the time I ran straight smack into a soccer goal, the time my mom asked for a plastic surgeon because I busted my lip in a head on collision during a soccer game (huge scar above my lip still very pronounced), and the countless skinned knees playing bobby sox in shorts at Melemano Field and Kipapa Park in the gravel.

My mom was always concerned that I was too...that I was not girly enough and in 8th grade she sent me to Charm School at John Robert Powers for a summer so that I could learn to be a woman. Pretty crazy being that my mom herself was a tom boy and played in all kinds of women's leagues when I was growing up.  But I guess she figured that if I was going to walk around in skirts and dresses with messed up scarred legs that I had better know how to walk right!!!

If you look at my legs today they are marked with horrible scars.  Even though I am totally tanned the scars and keloids are not disguised.  While I know some people hate their scars mine are proud battle scars of my days playing hard and giving it my all.  I never ever thought twice about diving for a ball or attempting a silly stunt on my bike.  Bloody knees stinging with peroxide were the norm growing up and my only concern was always whether my blanket was going to get stuck to my scab.

Today I added some new battle scars to my knees when trying to play softball.  I should have known better than to play at Kipapa field in regular court shoes because the gravel had always been slippery even with cleats.  But there I was, glove in hand, expensive Lululemon outfit on, feeling as competitive as ever, and ignoring that I am a 41 year old mother of two.  After mis judging a hop and bumbling a ball at shortstop I made the poor decision to try and tag a little girl 30 years younger than me.  I fell and missed of course but I was told that I did a very beautiful shoulder roll and provided a lot of laughs for everyone.  Thankfully, my beautiful shorts survived and I now have two new owwies that will be good stories once they turn to scars.

I am, NEVER too old for skinned knees!!!  And apparently, not very coordinated or graceful!

Van mommy is outta here to clean up the ouch with some stingy peroxide!!