Published on 12, July, 2020
I know that we can be prone to being clumsy (and why, and that I definitely am), but can still find it upsetting.
Since my diagnosis, I've found it easier to just acknowledge - or even to smile or laugh about - the smaller examples. But my unending stream of clumsiness, together with the hassle of the bigger examples, still gets to me.
It started innocuously enough today: I somehow dropped my teabag on the kitchen floor, between taking it out of the caddy and putting it into my cup. One moment it was right there, between my thumb and fingers, and I was looking right at it. The next it was on the floor. I've no idea how.
Two hours later, one that I couldn't smile about: I was sitting in the living room, had a first sip from a cup of coffee, and then - in the process of putting it back on the side table - somehow knocked it over and spilled it all over the floor (including down the table, under the table, under the sofa, etc).
I thought it might be interesting or maybe even therapeutic to share some of our clumsiness incidents.
So, if you feel like sharing, how clumsy are you? And what are some examples - whether recent or old?
(Very importantly, I don't mean to be tone deaf with this thread in respect of those of us who routinely have more severe difficulties. I'm thinking about the situations that we think we've got covered, until it turns out that we haven't).
Something I was just thinking about, has anyone else ever tried to play ‘pub darts’? I know from experience that it’s a very dangerous sport, not so much for me but more for anyone standing within throwing distance. I remember javelin at school, quite a few people nearly got skewered.
I wasn't allowed to do javelin at school after the first attempt, I was way to dangerous, nor was I allowed to do shot put as I was a danger with that too, mostly to my own toes.
I think it's odd that teachers understood that some people just can't throw and are clumsy, but still expected you to run and jump and be able to play tennis?
I totally agree, tennis or badminton was like watching me swatting flies, another hate was hockey, I’ve occasionally been invited to play golf, there is no way I’m ever going to hit the ball, more chance of a club hitting someone.
I was actually excused sport in the last year of school. My sports teacher was really kind, he took me to one side when I was being shouted at while playing football badly , he said that the other people in the school were my whole life at the moment, in a few years I will most probably never see any of them again in my life. He agreed that I was never going to be a sportsman, but there will be something out there that I will be good at. He was right, we remained friends right up to his death 25 years later.
I excused myself from running, by pretending I was a cameraman.
I can never do table tennis, myself.
How lovely Roy, I wish there were more sports teachers like that.
The other things I was really bad at was gym, I couldn't climb ropes or jump, vault and I was hopeless at floor work too. We had to do Danish country dancing around the gym when it was to wet for outdoor stuff, I just used to skip along, I couldn't get the hang of the steps at all, I was told off for that as well.