“Sometimes girls just fall.”
This observation came from my daughter in highschool when an aggressive soccer player repeatedly tried to take her down.
It was near the end of the game when I saw the girl, who was twice the size of my daughter, making a beeline for Samantha. I stood up, realizing the ball was nowhere near them.
Samantha’s legs widened and she dug her cleats into the grass. The girl slammed into her at full sprint . . . and Samantha didn’t yield. Instead, the girl bounced backwards onto the ground and looked stunned.
I cheered, like a horrible mother, but not for the fall. I cheered for the surprise, the absolute disbelief that Samantha could withstand that kind of physical onslaught.
On the way home, I asked Samantha what happened during the incident. Never one to embellish or complain, she simply replied, “Sometimes girls just fall.”
Now the reverse story . . .
This morning I met a colleague for breakfast, and we were discussing our clumsiness as we shared stories of bumps and bruises. We were having fun talking about it as we walked up to the cash register to pay the bill. Once paid, I continued with a good “falling” story.
In that same instant, my foot got hooked on a breakfast bar stool.
I stumbled and grabbed the counter, but not before dragging that thing several inches.
The old-fashioned drugstore had metal stools and a tile floor, which resulted in no noise at all. No siree. Everyone in the place did NOT stop eating to look at me. I did NOT laugh too loudly and try to joke about it.
Of course, all of that happened. But here’s the interesting point – I fell over the bar stool because my body fulfilled the conversation. It said:
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was digesting your breakfast. You said you wanted to fall? Here you go.”
I’ve read research about the fulfillment of the stories we tell ourselves, but I failed to realize how awesomely servient my body really is.
Although, I’m not sure why my body didn’t feel the need to fulfill my long-held belief that I was tall and thin, or forever young. I need to revisit those thoughts.
New studies have created some amazing findings . . .
Did you know that sitting in a hard chair makes people less willing to compromise than if they were sitting in a soft chair?
That holding a heavy clipboard causes people to take their jobs more seriously?
Did you know that holding a warm drink makes people judge another as more generous and caring than those holding cold drinks? That one explains people’s definite bias for my husband.
He carries around hot coffee, and I carry around ice coffee. Moving forward I’m carrying around a crock pot filled with stew.
The fact is that our mind and body are BFF’s . . .
After my stumble, I’m taking the stories I tell myself a little more seriously.
I will talk about my incredible grace, my vast intelligence, and my ability to be calm in traffic. I will tell myself how strong I am, and how I can stand up against obstacles.
And as I see trouble making a beeline for me, I will stand firm and repeat to myself . . .
“Sometimes girls just fall.“