Just For a Moment, Rest: A Little Bedtime Story
Jan 17th, 2009 | 7 responses
This is a picture of Kinderdijk canal in the Nederlands with thousands of joyous ice skaters who descended on the frozen canal …which last froze over more than twelve years ago.
Long ago, in the time of the story of Hans Brinker and The Silver Skates, that is in Holland circa 1865, the canals in the Netherlands froze over every year.
But gradually, with more and more water pollution changing the temperature of the water, the canals stopped freezing over.
But now, as one grandfather put it: “For us, it’s in our genes,” said Gus Gustafsson, 68… explaining why he and his wife had rushed out to buy new skates and take to the ice under a cloudless blue sky. “It was like a frenzy that came over people, including lots of kids…” With thousands of others, they skated northeast toward the cheese capital, Gouda, then toward Utrecht.
Can you imagine how nice it would be to ice skate down a frozen canal with your grandparents, the slurrr of the ice under your blades, finding the rythyms, bending forward, pretending you were an Olympic skater, long armed and taking swooping long strides?
Can you see how rosy your cheeks would become, and maybe some would have to stop for a little, you know, to quaff a little ‘vitamin drink’ from the flask? And can you imagine the ice clumping on your skate laces and eventually the ache in your ankles, and how you’d have to plead with the others to rest for a moment?
Can you hear the cries of joy from the people, the shouts of the toughs, the screaming fake-fears of the young girls, the teams of would-become Olympians who are practicing in packs, the old ones who smoke their pipes while they skate?
Can you feel the ice crystals forming in your nose and at the corners of your mouth, and the warm perspiration under your hat band and at the middle of your back between your wings?
Can you smell the woodsmoke of bankside fires, can you feel the sting of the smoke across your eyes? Can you hear the whish of your jacket as your arms windmill forward?
Can you think for a moment you are no longer skating on blades made of wood, but now skating on modern blades made of aluminum, titanium, steel, yet all taken from the earth by miners for you… and rendered in a crucible in a fiery foundry for you… and then poured into molds…for you? Can you imagine you are skating on earth’s bounty passed through fire as you scrape scrape scrape across the ice?
And can you imagine the happiness of the dogs that run after, all seeming nine-pawed as they skid on the ice? And can you hear the shouts of those coming through playing some version of ‘crack the whip’?
And can you imagine that some are saying the canals froze over this year because of efforts to clean the water over the last many years?
And can you imagine eating simple food at the end of the canal, and falling asleep by the fire, leaning into the body of someone loved?
And can you imagine that you sleep like an angel for your lungs, your mind, your body have been used to the hilt… and that tonight you might dream about winning the magical Silver Skates yourself, and that in so doing you will have then, according to the ancient mythos in the cold countries, earned the earthly equivalent of silver wings forever?
May we all sleep well after being together on such a long, beautiful day under such a blue, blue sky.
Tuck, tuck. There. And there.
Sweetest dreams.
_________
CODA: Here is a link to Michael van der Galien’s site on the issue of kanaals freezing over, and some pics of his very ‘silver skates’ looking self, iceskating there in the Netherlands, where he lives.
7 Responses to “Just For a Moment, Rest: A Little Bedtime Story”
As a youngster growing up in rural Michigan we lived on a creek that froze over most years, and so my brothers and I would skate up and down the creek, have bonfires, and go sledding on the hills near our house. We spent a great deal of time outdoors year round in fact, and for that reason I'm grateful we grew up in the era we did. I don't skate anymore but I still dream of skating sometimes. Thanks for the great story, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
What a wonderful story Doc!
I'm going to make sure to re-read this before I go to bed tonight.
I am plagued by nightmares and I'm thinking that this story might help break the current cycle. Your Bedtime Stories CD helps me out a lot so it stands to reason this story might have similar results.
Actually, I use many of your recorded works to keep the nightmare monsters at bay – They're very effective and so much better for me than using benzodiazepine medications in order to sleep through the night.
Thank you very much for sharing this with us!
Ghosty
Hey J!
There's a website dedicated to restoring those Windmills called:
Campaign to Save the Golden Gate Windmills
They not only have the information about the restoration project but a very nice video to watch about the two Windmills (named Dutch and Murphy).
Here's the url:
http://www.goldengateparkwindmills.org/index.html
Enjoy!
Ghosty
What a beautiful story. It brought back memories of my young years in the Netherlands (Holland, we called it then) doing exactly those things and having exactly the same emotions you describe. In the 50's (when I lived in Holland) you could count on the kanaals faithfully freezing almost every winter for at least a couple of weeks. As a matter of fact, I rememember enjoying catching glimpses of the “Elfstedentocht”, a speed-skating competition held in Holland (Friesland) when a sufficient nu,number of canals were solidly frozen over. It was an ice-skating race held on the miles and miles of frozen canals (almost 130 miles long) passing through eleven Dutch towns–hence the “Elfstedentocht,”
I understand that the last race was in 1997…what a shame. But, I believe that the Dutch are hoping to have one this year.
“Thanks for the memories,” dr. e. Now, if I could just learn how to post a photo on TMV…
This is a wonderful good time story. . .does the heart good to see so many people out in an overdue anticipated Nature adventure. . .The Windmills are great. . .found my self thinking of biking along a canal lined with windmills outside of Amsterdam in my mid twenties . . .also found the mind going to someone i had not thought of in many years. . .When in third grade i carried on a pen pal exchange with Peter of Amsterdam in D. E Rodriguiez's Holland. . .We exchanged letters for three years until we “grew up and matured”. . .I thought he was so worldly because he lived so far away in a country with dikes, windmills, bicycles, and tulips. . .And he wanted to come to Texas and cowboy. . .we even wrote of marriage. . . Found myself amused and reminiscing about Peter and wondering if maybe Peter was in the photo skating?. . . LOL!
Thanks for the link Ghosty, I appreciate it!
i love hearing you guys' 'slice of life' stories. You all are so cool. I never knew there were windmills in Calif. I loved to hear of the ELFsedentocht… what a great name. I loved to hear of the penpal in Holland wanding to come to tejas y be a guacho, and I wish for you Ghostie and all who are 'sensitive sleepers, soothing deep sleep always
i really really wish we could all be on that kanaal (thanks doriancito) in the picture right now; it'd be so great. Maybe in a little way, for a few moments… we were. In story time, anything is possible
dr.e