16 Again

I think it's everyone's fantasy to go back and be 16 again, even if it's just for a moment, to redeem oneself now that we are so much older and wiser.  We would tell our young selves how to be "cooler" or how to get the guy/girl, or especially how not to make a huge impending mistake.  One thing I dream about (literally, I have anxiety dreams about this all the time) is going back and competing as a cheerleader at a National competition.  I dream I could go back in time and be a better gymnast, so that I wasn't limited in what I could do during competitions.  That was my sport, my claim to fame and how I learned most about myself and my competitive drive/focus. 

Sometimes, when I wake up from one of these dreams, I try to remember a cheer or a dance, and I stand in my room (all grown up) saying, "Ready, okay!".  It's a bit on the ridiculous side, but it's fun to let a little silliness out every once in a while.  The movements come back to me as if I were 16 again, until I get to the jumps. 

Oh, I was an awesome jumper.  I found out I was a good jumper when a guy I liked was about 5 rows up in the bleachers, and I wanted to impress him.  I jumped as high as I could, and I found out that I could raise my rump about a foot and a half higher than any of the other girls, even those who were taller than me.  From then on, I was the star jumper at competitions and performances.

For anyone who believes you can't be 16 again, I want you to know that by the end of the Fall, I'm gonna get my hops back.  I may not get quite as much air as I used to, but I'm going to wake up one day and be able to do several jumps high and clean like the old days.  Does that sound silly?  As I write this, it sounds silly.  But you know, it's an athletic goal, and I'm going to set my sights on it and achieve it.

If I can feel 16 again, I will, if only for a fleeting moment in the air.