lessons in humility- learning new stuff

in life it is good to be humbled
I am not saying that it is good to be kicked when you are down
nor am I saying that it is good to have your spirit broken
all I am saying is that it is good to have an experience that puts you in check... something that humbles you

drinking can do this
drinking too much can make a person stumble
stumble literally or figuratively
the feeling the next day
the effort to piece together reality and the drunken dream state
the sickening feeling in the gut in itself is humbling

trying to learn something new can be a humbling experience
to be a beginner is humbling
trying something for the first time can be... yes.... you guessed it... a humbling experience
I continue to try new stuff
always trying to grow and develop
often having to be meak and humble as I awkwardly approach the unknown

it would be easy to stick to the few things I know...
but that would be redundent
that is why I built a fix gear... to mix it up
one day I will buy a unicycle... maybe even get back on a skateboard
I do not have to ever get good at these things.... but I must try to manage them

when my now wife then girlfriend was learning to snowboard
in an effort to be more sympathetic to her efforts I tried to ride fakie while she road regular
well.... I did not learn to ride fakie very well
but, it did humble me and made me more understanding of her efforts as a beginner

a few years back my brother took me white water kayaking....
he was very patient
I was very wet
this experience was an eye opener...
one: I needed to learn to "roll"
two: I need to be more patient of the beginner
since then I have tried to be more patient

the list goes on of things I have tried and have not even reached the beginner stage
although I am a solid all mountain snowboarder good in the trees having no issues with the bumps and love the steeps (or at least this was the case last time I snowboarded in the west)
but... on cross country skiis i look like some goober in a warren miller film

nothing wrong with being humbled
yet
there is something wrong with laughing at someone else falling down on the ice
okay... you can laugh... I love to laugh at the misfortune of others... as long as they are not hurt...
the site of someone else falling always brings me great joy
but we must remember that when we fall as well... we too muct remember to laugh at ourselves