I’m clumsy. I survive by assuming everybody else is, too.
Despite the obvious (and frequently embarrassing) hazards, it’s a pretty good way to live. Really.
Don’t take me wrong. Injuries, hurt feelings, creepy people and events: not into them. But I am into building community, and for me that can sometimes mean being clumsy.
Lending a Hand
One afternoon I was on the beach access ramp with my dogs. Tree-sized driftwood blocked the ramp, so the woman walking towards us carrying a baby had a difficult climb.
What would a clumsy person do? I stopped and offered her my hand.
She politely refused, but as she climbed up on the log, it rolled and threw her off balance. As I reached for her, she clutched the baby tightly in one arm and held out the other, saying, “I’ll take that hand.”
In a few seconds both were safely on the ramp.
Lending a Leash
Several weeks later I was out alone with my younger dog, Alki, who has recently become deaf. Alki has understandably been emotional, cranky, and skittish about becoming deaf, especially with other dogs.
That day, a loose dog ran up to us, a dog I thought might live nearby. Now any dog can be dangerous, especially a strange one. Plus Alki was once mauled, and I was injured saving him while beating the crap out of the attacking dog (fierce mama, that’s me). So I hesitated.
What would a clumsy person do? I stopped to help the dog.
I called it to us, making sure it kept its distance but stayed with us (and out of the street). While I was calm and cheerful, I closely watched both dogs. As the loose dog warily regarded us, Alki visibly braced himself, gently greeted the dog, then quietly and calmly helped me herd it. When the dog stopped to sniff something, we waited. When it wandered away, Alki urged it back with a head shake that could only mean, “Follow us, buddy.”
Eventually we got down the block, and two neighbors out with their dog stopped to help. The wandering dog was soon reunited with its family.
The point? Oddly, being clumsy works.
We can worry that the world has too many problems, and nothing we can do will matter. Or we can assume that we’re all clumsy, together, and lend a hand—or a metaphorical leash—when we can.
It’s all part of building community. Is your way easier than being clumsy? Tell us about it.
(c) 2011 Robyn M Fritz