Thomas Kessler
JUST SKIP IT
As adults we are considered not just role models but also to set standards and enforce rules. Pretty basics stuff, so having an opportunity to step out of the norm and perform a deviant act, why wouldn’t I take this chance and skip past the ordinary. According to www.walkinginfo.org about 107.4 million Americans use walking as a regular mode of transportation. With all of these regular walkers, what would happen if we, as adults, started to skip? Seeing children skip is pretty typical, but what about us adults? Business men in suits? Military soldiers in uniform? Women in Sunday dresses? The Post Office clerk? The lawyer representing you? The Doctor in the ER hallway? All of us using the fun motion of hopping in rhythm, while running to get from point A to point B. We would be happier and let’s not forget the extra calories we would burn. This is why I decided for my deviant act, to spent one day as an adult skipper. This should be a challenge since I live in Germany and I am in the United States Air Force. Not to mention, I will have to do this while shopping at the biggest and busiest BX in the world “KMCC” and going down town Kaiserslautern to have some adult time. My wife, Desiree, has told me that she would not participate during my shopping experience on base but agreed to assist me that evening while we go bar hopping, or should I say skipping in Kaiserslautern.
Entering the base, I remind myself of all the rules and standards the military enforces. From little things like how to write a sentence to the way we wear our uniforms. Skipping in the craziest shopping center that the military has to offer definitely will be fun and scary. If you’re trying to find a place with a combination of many cultures, ethnic groups, and races; the Base Exchange will do just fine. There is also the young crowd, the old, and lets not forget the high ranking. I decided to go at lunch time on a Saturday. If I get passed the front door, the overwhelmed food court, and go straight to the BX I should be in the clear to buy the new “Source Code” DVD and skip my way back to my car. So here I go. Locked the VW. Secured the keys, iPhone, and wallet and started skipping to the front door. Of course, like every weekend, parking is a nightmare and I was pretty far from the door. Gently skipping through the moist afternoon air, I was happy. I started to smile when people watched me skipping down the parking lot. Just a grown man, wearing shorts and a plain T-shirt, skipping to the BX. I did notice most of the other adults were staring but smiling also. So now I started to feel better. I had to slow down to make sure I didn’t skip into the automatic doors, but when they did open, I was amazed how many people were waiting in lines to get lunch. I continued skipping, with my keys jingling, people moved out my way. This time I got some disgusted looks. I even heard a “slow down” and “no running.” Even with some of the disgruntled faces I did make some kids smile. To help make this more interesting, I made one more round around the dining area and started softly humming, “skip, skip to my lou.” Some teenagers were pointing and laughing at me, pretty sure they were making fun. Another couple giving me the look, but like themselves, I received many looks and attention, mostly negative. But not in trouble yet, so continued to get my DVD and finally stopped at the counter. Now sweating, the cashier ask me, “are you in a hurry?” I just smiled and replied, “No just skipping.” She explained to me that she would never be caught skipping in public because it was childish and too much work. I paid and skipped back to my car.
Honestly, this went pretty fast. I did notice a lot of looks, some good some bad. I noticed hand pointing and laughter. Some tried to stop me; some tried to call me out. If someone would have stopped me I would explained this project and most likely would have gotten out of it. It was fun at first but as soon as those double doors open, I was nervous. I tried to smile and continue to accomplish my mission. Would I do this again, no don’t think so. I was sweating pretty badly. With the combination of bad looks and the exercise, the only positive thing was it cut my shopping time in half. The risk of falling or running into someone was what made this experience a folkway. This military community is likely not going to start skipping in this mall any time soon.
I predict this evening will be quite different. With so many fun and drunk adults walking around, I predict no one will care that Desiree and myself are skipping by them. We parked our car in skipped across the main street, legally. Some drivers looked at us but no real impressive reactions. We ended up at the first bar where she ordered a coke and I had a beer or two. When the sweating stopped we continued skipping the strip. It’s a street for pedestrians with local bars on both sides. We had fun, laughing and skipping along. With so much going on, we didn’t really recognize any reactions. We had the usual look and figure point, but no great reactions. After a couple more beer stops we ran into some friends. I introduced this project and we all decided to give it a try as a group. This time we had the reaction I was looking for. Many laughed and we even had some applauds. I believe skipping was accepted in this setting. We couldn’t continue the rest of the night. Skipping is a hard thing to do, plus nobody wants a sweaty group of Americans in a German bar. Either way, my friends, my wife, and I had fun. When skipping along you just can’t help to smile. I expected at least one drunk guy to mess with us, but we just had some laughter and figure pointing.
This project has taught me how nervous and fun doing something out of the norm can be. I was excited, scared, and tired after my skipping adventures. I can definitely see that skipping can be fun, great for fitness, and a great way for 6 friends to get around. Yes, at the military mall I got the most shocked expressions and even had some members yell at me but why cant adult skipping be fun. Why was I being looked at like I was doing something wrong? Was it because I was skipping or was it because I am an adult skipping? If kids can run around, with only their parents yelling, why did I have adults yelling at me when I was just skipping? I guess it’s just isn’t normal to see an adult skipping away in a crowded public place, unless you throw in the alcohol factor. Kim Corbin, www.iskip.com, reminds us to think about when we notice joggers; they have grimacing looks on their faces. Even walkers seem to be unpleasant when completing a task. But if you ever watch someone while they’re skipping, they will be smiling. Put a skip in your step!
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