Rumble Strips...Conquered!

Hello, friends!

You know those little yellow bumpy strips they have at intersections?  They look like Lego dots with more rounded tops.  I call them rumble strips, but they are formally called "detectable warning surfaces."  Usually yellow, but occasionally red in some areas, they are designed to meet Federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The bright color combined with the raised bumps allows walkers and bicyclists of all abilities to have a better idea of where the sidewalk transitions to a road.  They apparently are also designed to thwart easy crossing of streets by skaters!

Here is a picture of the new, extra bumpy strips that were recently installed on my favorite trail:

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the strips are installed nicely parallel with the road, but not necessarily with the path.  That means when I skate across them, I get a very bumpy, very insecure ride.  Not what I'm going for when I'm also negotiating traffic and a bumpier surface on the roadway.

For weeks, I've been slowing down almost to a stop and then gingerly pick my way across the strip.  My other option is to try to skate around, but as you can see, there's not much room.  

This week I decided I needed a new approach, an opportunity for growth, if you will (trying to look for growth instead of annoyance).  First, I paid attention to how I could hold my body differently: if I stopped fighting the dots and let myself feel light in my skates, the vibration was less.  Then I tried having a bit more speed: the skates floated across more easily.  Finally, my aha moment brought it all together: if I skated parallel with the dots (which required me to skate not straight across the street but at an angle), my skates naturally found the grooves between the dots.  Voila!  

That's one thing I love about skating--always something new to learn that also teaches me lessons about other parts of my life.  If I go with the flow, relax, stay centered, be willing to try a new approach, and not be so afraid of "what if," I more easily glide over the obstacles in my path.

Next blog: how installing my new wheels and brakes allowed me to turn 3 fairly serviceable pairs of skates into zero pairs of skates.  

Keep skating!
Nancie  ♥


P.S. If you want to see the jewelry I was wearing while skating, here it is.  (Yes, I even wear nice pieces when I get hot and sweaty!  I like pretty things and peridot is August's birthstone.)

Click here to visit my on-line jewelry shop

Peridot and Sterling Silver Necklace

8/15/12
Skate #105
Lafayette-Moraga Trail
5.2 mi