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       It didn’t seem like anything special… until he took flight. But just like that, it became somewhat as an athletic miracle. My 5-year-old cousin did a flip in mid air while riding his little roller skates. Sure, this wouldn’t have been such a big deal if he did this all the time but this was a person who could walk 3 steps with bailing. No matter how fast or instantaneous his skating fun turned into an acrobatic stunt, I remembered each and every second like it had happened in slow motion.

       Back in the summer of ’08, my seven-year-old cousin, Isaiah was lapping the back of the living room, as he always did when he felt that urge to play with his skates. I wasn’t doing anything special in particular either, but little did I know, I was in exactly the right place at right time. My little sister had just happened to leave her pink mini wagon lying upside down in the doorway of the living room, which lead into the nearby dining room. This wagon was meant to be rode in, but it was just another obstacle in is clumsy path of skating. Right as he turned around and faced me, he shouted, “TJ, look how fast I can go!” he pushed off of our front door, giving him that extra velocity, that extra speed he needed to take that inevitable bail he had in store.

       He was so bent on me watching him, he paid no attention to what was in front of him, all he cared about was if I was watching, and I was. He had that certain faith in me, that faith that lets you know you have someone that will make you feel god, about good yourself and support you through thick and thin, and that’s what I did. I didn’t always approve of the things that he did, but if it made him happy than it made me happy, even if the things were a little silly or childish. I just want him to know that I will always be in his corner. I knew that Isaiah wasn’t allowed to jump over a wagon, too many things could go wrong. For example, he could trip over then wagon and fall on his arm, breaking it in 7 different places, because still keep in mind, he skating faster than a 5 year old should be. Then, I would be asked what happened, and it wouldn’t matter if I answered them with an answer of truth or I don’t know. If I told them what had actually happened, they’d ask me why I let him do it, but if I said I don’t know, they’d ask me why I let him do it in the first place. I know that my role as his cousin isn’t to be his guardian angel, but it is my role to be there for him- this includes not letting him kill himself. So, I do understand where my grandparents would be coming from if I were blamed for what he had done to himself. Since I knew that it was partially my responsibility to keep him safe I should have taken the initiative to be responsible older cousin and let him now what he was doing wasn’t appropriate or even safe to be doing on our hardwood living room floor. But, I wanted him to know I was enjoying his performance so that he could have his fun, so, I just sat there and let him jump over the inclined wagon.

       I watched in complete horror, I didn’t know if he was going to go flying up into the side of the doorway, or just straight up crash. I waited to find out which poison he had picked. He rolled his first wheel onto the pink, plastic handle of the wheel, with 2 more wheels following, and behind those were an entire other foot. As he elevated to the edge of that ramp of a wagon, I had seen that his entire body was balanced, from his black, flame vinyl helmet, to the foot of his kneepad-covered legs. I wasn’t certain about what was going to happen next, but I was sure that he was not going to wipe out. Soon enough, Isaiah had realized he had been rising, to the point where his feet weren’t touching the ground, I don’t know how exactly but he turned himself in a complete 180-degree turn. I don’t know if he was trying to see in front of him, or if that was his plan from the very beginning, but whatever it was, it looked rehearsed. He rotated slightly to his left, then bent himself backward in an arching position, but he didn’t stay like that, he did a complete back flip, and despite any law of time that has every been acquired, I swear on everything he look like he was falling in slow motion. The tip of the of his skate skimmed the floor, only to lead the wheel of his skate rolling him into a smooth landing to the other end of the living room. He turned around, his mouth was wide opened, enough for me to see that speed bag hanging in the back of the roof of his mouth. I could tell he was amazed, because I knew I was.

       Sometimes, I look back on this day and wonder whether or not I should have reacted differently about the entire situation. I think that I could have shown a little more responsibility by not letting him fulfill this desperate exploit. I understand that I wanted my cousin to think that “I was fun’, but sometimes the fun thing might not be the right thing, but you have to use your better judgment to decide on what right or wrong- without letting the thought of “Will I still be fun?” thwart your decision message. On the other hand, he didn’t get hurt, so it let me see how important my attention was to him. I think whether or not he would have executed that trick the way he did if I had not been watching hi. When you know somebody has faith in you, you have faith in yourself, and that’s what my little cousin Isaiah showed me when he leapt over the little pink wagon. Self-confidence is that energy you need to know that whatever you want to do is possible. My good friend Henry Ford couldn’t have said it better, “Whether you think you can or you think you cant, you’re right.” Sometimes a little confidence is all you need to perform miracles.