Bowing Out
Many of our life lessons come from trial and error- it is a pivotal part of life. Faults that are crucial to our learning process typically occur when we are younger, whether we’re infants, children, or adolescents. I can distinctly remember a time where I made a mistake that ultimately contributed to an important lesson. Two years ago, I was in dance rehearsals for a show that was choreographed by a very well-known choreographer. Rehearsals were intense, and I have to admit- I was pretty scared of the choreographer. She would sit in her chair, with a stern, cold look on her face, and shout commands at us that we were expected to immediately execute to perfection. She was great at what she did, and she expected a lot from us, but in the best way possible. Anything she asked of us, we would do. However, I stretched that last claim to its fullest potential.
About an hour into rehearsal, we were finishing up the dance and she called my name. She continued on to ask if I knew how to do a front aerial (a type of gymnastics flip). I was really nervous, and on top of that, I didn’t want to disappoint her by saying I couldn’t (when I really couldn’t do it). So, I made the mistake of telling her I could do it. We then moved on and finished the rest of the dance for most of the rehearsal, but then it came time to rehearse the full piece. I was nervous; my hands were clammy, my stomach hurt, and my mind was racing. And listen, I know all that stuff I just said may seem dramatic and fictional, but I promise it was all true.
Now, we had started the dance and it was time for me to do the flip. I was extremely hesitant, but in fears that I would let her down, I did it anyway. Like you probably guessed, I fell- HARD. Not only did I knock the wind out of myself from the impact, but I hit my tailbone on the hard floor and bruised it, and hurt my shoulder because of the way I landed on it. They rushed me off to the side and made me lay on my stomach to put some ice on my back. I explained everything to her, and to my surprise, she was extremely understanding. Even though I was delighted that she was actually a decent person, that didn’t help me much. Now, instead of bowing out of that little flip in the first place, I had to bow out of the entire dance. I was so upset, and I didn’t know how to deal with the embarrassment on top of that. So, to say the least, I learned a big lesson. Even though I was upset I couldn’t perform, I knew the biggest problem was my safety. I knew I was wrong for promising something that I couldn’t deliver. And trust me, with the excruciating pain I was dealing with, I learned my lesson. But, even though a may sound like a broken record of complaints, I know I could’ve gotten hurt much worse, so I was pretty thankful that all I had were some rug burns and bruises.
