Why I Never Look Back

I was a horrible child. A terror, really. I mean no child is a bundle of sweetness all the time. Most have their bouts of tantrums and inconsolable moods. I don’t exaggerate when I say that adolescent Lizzie, while exceptional in many ways, was primarily just a tyrant. Many examples exist of this, however one fact should suffice in proving my bad (demonic?) nature-my parents stopped having kids because I was too much to handle. Yes, you read that right. I am the reason no other little Donnelly’s are inhabiting this world. Good thing I came along third.

In any case, try as my family may to reign in the tornado of trouble that was me, I tended to prevail in most instances. They did however attempt to keep a close eye on me, at the very least in public spaces. It’s a wonder then, how when traveling abroad I managed to become so far out of reach.
In the first grade we took a trip to Mexico. Not just my immediate family, but a slew of cousins, aunts and uncles as well. The first night a group of us decided to take a stroll through the city (pre drug fiasco I presume though 6 year old me wasn’t exactly knowledgable on the drug trade. I could have walked right by a hand off and been none the wiser). Little me decided to take the lead and raced pretty far ahead of the group. My sister, the grudgingly dutiful child keeper that she is, made sure to keep pace with me.

I was walking backwards, so as to maintain the lead while also being able to call back to my family, navigating half blind the sparse pedestrian traffic. I just ran into my third stranger, when my sister finally had enough and commanded I turn around before I injure myself-or worse someone else.
Of course I ignored her, and instead picked up my pace to prove my backward-walking prowess. A few paces later my foot caught on some edge and I stumbled to the side, almost laid splat on the concrete.

While I righted myself my sister was quick to supply a firm “I told you so,” along with a much more threatening command to walk forwards. Now, I may have been prideful with a firm stance on disobedience, but I wasn’t stupid. I swear, I would have walked forwards. But the thing that had impeded on my fun was still a mystery, what had tripped me? I wanted to uncover the narrowly avoided threat, however I also had a lead on the rest of our group to maintain. As I inspected the sidewalk, which I now saw had two overlapping sections to blame for my near fall, I took two steps backwards.

I meant to take one more in tandem with swinging my body front facing. I tried. Unfortunately, there appeared to be no ground to take that step on. Which my mind registered at the same moment my body plummeted downwards into empty space. Luckily instinct took over causing me to throw my arms out and grasp the first solid thing they touched.

From the perspective of my lagging family, I was seen upright one moment, while the next nothing but a head and shoulders shot out of the sidewalk.
From my panicked view, I was hanging on for dear life to the sides of a manhole while my legs swung perilously in a dark void that made it impossible to gage my height.

Weak thing that I was, my only resort was to set to screaming. Loudly. I remember the moment I realized holding on longer was impossible. I can still feel the edges slipping form my fingers as I gave into gravity and begun a free fall. Just as the street view disappeared from sight, my gaze meeting the inky darkness of the whole, I felt hands grasping my shoulders. Before I knew it I was yanked up and out onto the concrete. Where I lay staring up into my sisters horrified eyes.

So that’s the time I almost fell into a manhole.

The next day a couple of my uncles walked by the spot, and determined that the fall was a good 40 foot drop. That very well could have been the end of me. A shame cause then I wouldn’t have grown into the perfectly angelic teenager I was destined to become. Kidding. Sort of.

So the moral? When life knocks you down, don’t go dwelling on that shit. Turn around. IMMEDIATELY, and look towards better things. Cause chances are something up ahead wants to put you back on that ground (or beneath it), and you best be ready.

Prompt: “Write a personal story that is the reason for a larger personal conviction.”