Growing up in eastern North Carolina, I can remember our river freezing over – just one time. It was a big hairy deal. We rarely received more than a few flakes of snow each winter; so, a frozen river was major news! Someone even walked on it! Can you imagine?!Move over northern states. We now know what winter is like!
As my sarcasm may have suggested, I did not grow up in the most chilly of climates. Hockey was never my sport. An inch of snow shut my home town down completely. Milk and bread were worth more than gold if there was even a hint of that white stuff in the air. Our lakes stayed fluid year-round and we did not have a local hockey team, so ice skating was not a beloved past time for my friends and me. We spent many an hour at roller skating rink on four wheels; but, I don’t think I even knew anyone who owned a pair of ice skates until I was grown.
Take Me Out to the Ice Rink
Still, I’ve always liked the idea of ice skating. I watched the movie, The Cutting Edge at least twenty times as a teenager. Professional skaters make it seems so natural and effortless. Ice skating seems like so much fun.
Well, in honor of my Year of Experiences, I finally tried ice skating. How did it go do you ask? Well, I wouldn’t say it was an epic fail; but, I may need a few dozen more tries before I finally let go of the wall. ~smile~
First of all, I must send a major thank you out to my brother-in-law who provided me with knee and elbow pads and to my sister-in-law for patiently following me around the rink the ONE time I traversed it. ~smile~ (It was all I could handle….) I wrestled on all the gear and then sat humbly as my brother-in-law tied my skates for me. For a moment, I felt rather… kindergartenish. After my skates and pads were in place, I had to stand up. WHOA! Who knew the first step to ice skating was learning to walk all over again!?!
Around I Go…
I stood in one spot, terrified to move. Finally, I shuffled a wee little bit, not knowing if I should bow my legs inward or outward. It took a little while, but I finally made it to the ice. If walking was that hard, I was quite freaked out by the prospect of staying upright on slippery ice. After all, I’m quite proficient at slipping on ice without ice skates. I stepped into the rink gingerly and proceeded to hold onto the wall for DEAR LIFE.
I’m not sure if my fear got the better of me or if it was the (literally) hundred other people on the ice; but, I immediately began looking for an exit. Most of the exits were closed and some of the exits turned out to only be annoying hockey penalty boxes! ~smile~
After what seemed like an hour, I finally made it to a bench. Whew! I did not ever let go of the wall, but… I did not fall either. ~smile~
After hanging out on the bench for a while, I felt an inner determination to at least make it around the rink one full time. I headed out again, politely requesting the wall dwellers to move out of my way (yes, really) and completed my lap. After being on the ice, walking on the skates seemed like a breeze. We headed back to the lobby where we shed our skates and pads and returned to our daily footwear. I’ve never been happier to put on flat shoes and walk as God intended humans to do.
Reflections
After the experience, I felt somewhat let down. On one hand, I’d always wondered about ice skating and was thankful to have finally tried it. On the other hand, I know I did not get the full experience – perhaps only a taste – but not ice skating as it is intended (though I did get a tremendous upper body workout from pulling myself around the rink ~smile~). That’s when I realized something about fears. Conquering fear is often a process, not a one-time event.
Up until a few weeks ago, I did not have a fear of ice skating. I even thought it looked fun! But, after putting the skates on and feeling an extreme lack of control, I certainly felt fear creep upon me. In my mind, going out on the ice should have eradicated that fear, but it didn’t. It did show me that I’m capable of trying new experiences, but it also showed me that sometimes fears can be created by experiences and even take repeated attempts to conquer.
It was a lesson to learn and I learned it. It’s unrealistic to expect our fears to magically disappear after one exposure; yet, after repeated attempts to conquer them, they should begin to fade. With that being said, I may have to hold snakes a dozen times before I’m actually comfortable doing so. As of a few weeks ago, I could not even stay on the Virginia Herpetological Society’s website. Too many creepy pictures!!!
Am I glad I tried ice skating? Absolutely! Will I do it again? Time will tell. ~smile~ Regardless, I am so glad I tried it this time and I’m looking forward to exploring more unknown experiences this year! Creepy snakes, here I come!
Have you and your sweetie tried ice skating together?