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I can picture you, little and walking home from school with Velcro shoes, excited about your new discovery at school. There’s this new toy that’s been the craze, and every kid has it, so you asked your parents to get one for you. Daddy said that toys were stupid, a waste of money, “children get bored after just a few days”, added mommy. Then they headed back to work.
So instead you glued your eyes to that CRT until you fell into it. Your few days turned into few years, you began to lace your own shoes and realized that you never really liked TV in the first place, but through its light, you met your dark knight, who would sweep you off your feet.
You wake up another day and suddenly you’ve got these uncanny long arms that let you touch your toes without bending over ; that’s how long it took for you to tie your first skates. You look a little silly, and people laugh at you, then they go to work, and so do you. You’ll keep making a fool of yourself no matter how serious you are, such is your life. You danced in front of the queen and fell on your nose, we heard a horn squeak.
You’re 26 now and you meet this little girl who reminds you of yourself, feathers and all. She wears Velcro shoes, so you give her your skates. You tie them, properly, and let her hit the rink. Two strides and her joy envelops your world ; it takes but a fall and you learn about beauty again : it’s those same falls you took a thousand times over before her. She even cries the same tears you did, and because you’re so damn tall you have to kneel to give the warm embrace you needed back then.
At long last can you make sense of the pain that you’ve been carrying. Some things you can only catch because you failed ; some talents can only be spotted 'cause you couldn’t hack it. You’ve made a name for yourself even though “A-ke-u-ra-ji” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.
Anyways back to that girl, isn’t she just amazing ? You love her, that you do, and you love coaching too. You’d trade your left kidney to see her smile and a part of your liver to feed the eagles once you’re done passing your fire down to her. You’ve got the eyes of a hawk and only when you use them do you get to soar, then once you’re done running like an ostrich you’ll ask yourself :
Do they still sell that toy ?