What I got for Christmas

   About a week ago I published a post about what I wanted for Christmas. Everyone had been asking and asking and I finally came up with something....

A SKATEBOARD!!!

   Needless to say, my family was a little less than thrilled. My daughter rolled her eyes so far back I thought she might be able to see yesterday. Handsome hubby left for work with a glint in his eye and a giggle in his grin. 

Perhaps my track record made them question my choice.

   

   I have taken a few tumbles and left a few digits in undesirable places...

  

Or maybe it's my sense of balance. I am getting way better at this whole "tuck and roll" thing.

      I have to admit, I was a bit discouraged. My friends patted me on the back, shaking their heads, my brother chuckled and my nephews raised their eyebrows. Then, perhaps the hardest blow of all was Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.

   We went to celebrate the joy of Christmas and to hear my daughter play with the bell choir. It was a beautiful Mass and I was enjoying myself... until the homily. Father was talking about how things bring only temporary happiness and not to be discouraged if we didn't get the things we asked for... new phones, cars, skateboards...

Yes, he said skateboards.

   My poor husband nearly fell out of the pew. God tends to speak pretty loudly. Well, okay, he shouts at me to get his point across, but really, the Christmas homily? Wasn't that taking things a bit far?

I prepared for the inevitable.

   Christmas day started out with a headache. Between doses of ibuprofen and bouts of fatigue, I happily prepared for the arrival of friends and family to celebrate the day. But there was no wheeled package underneath the tree for me.

   It was behind the chair in the living room.

   My hubby gets me. Totally gets me. And he got me a skateboard... along with knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards.

   Not to worry though, this skateboard is not about happiness...

   Yes, it made me happy to see it on Christmas morning.

   You see, I do have balance issues and I'm not known to be too terribly swift, so I am likely to fall off that thing many many times. (Thus elbow/knee/wrist guards.)

   The skateboard is about what is important. Getting back up and getting back on. It's a reminder to keep going, even if sometimes it might mean riding the damn thing on my butt.

I promise to stay off the stairs.