I went
ice-skating for the first time in years a few days ago and I had a blast feeling like a kid.
And afterwards I felt alive as one should when doing something different than
is usually done on a day to day basis. Then my nerdy self got to thinking of how symbolic
of life ice skating can be. I think this way because I am an English nerd with
the curse of the need to always analyze and find deeper meaning in everything!
I came up with 5
lessons on life that ice skating taught me:
Bumpers – What you think protects you can actually hinder you
You won’t get any
progress in anything unless you jump in and just do it. Why have the bumpers? Is
it because you are afraid to fall? Is it because you want to go fast and
because you aren’t ready to go fast yet, the bumper helps you to do it without
falling? You have to just do what it is you want to do without any “cheating”
and you can’t make yourself be at a certain level of something without having
earned it, worked for it, learned from the journey of attaining it.
Falling – Fall ten times and get back up eleven.
Every time I have ice-skated
in the past it probably took me over an hour to get the hang of it and then I
would be on my way. This was because I was so scared of falling and I refused
to fall. I would see others fall and think how silly they looked. I don’t want
anyone to see me look that silly falling! But this time, I fell! I fell quite a
few times and I even fell with a bumper! LOL! I realized that while it hurt or that
my clothes got all wet from the ice all over me that I actually had FUN falling! It was
fun to not care. It was fun to not be afraid because I’d just get back up and
start again. I wasn’t going to leave the rink! Who cares what I look like,
everyone is looking like that. The ones who are falling are actually doing. The
ones who aren’t are stuck not getting any better because of being hindered by
fear.
Crashing – Accepting what is out of our control will just happen
There are so many
people everywhere and kids with no direction at all, it is inevitable that
there are going to be crashes with people into people. I was on a bumper going
fast and a kid got all wobbly near me and then got way too close that I moved
to avoid running into the kid, but just as I did that I plowed my bumper into
this lady like I was in a bumper car trying to get to first place! I felt so
bad and embarrassed but then realized that it is the nature of the beast when you go to a rink with skaters of all levels. We
all had to be aware that someone might crash into us. We take that risk going
in. Things in life are just a part of the process and we have to accept that
they will happen. We can do our best but when something that is out of our
control is to happen, we have to embrace it as a learning experience.
Going Slow - No need to rush to the finish line when you have so much to learn from the process.
When I
skate, I go slow until I can get my confidence to go a bit faster. It may take
me all day. I remember skating for 3 hours in the past and right when everyone was ready to
go, that was when I finally had the hang of it and wanted to keep going. I
didn’t have 3 hours this time, but I had more fun when I let go of the bumper
and just skated. Maybe I wasn’t twirling and turning but I was moving forward.
I know with time and direction that I too could be moving smoothly but it was
nice to let go and know I didn’t have to be a pro. I only needed to have fun.
Just like with life. The joy is in the journey and it may be a slow process but
that only teaches you to slow down and enjoy your life. It will pass by anyway. Make the decision in your mind that you KNOW you will get to where you
want to be, so go at the pace that you have peace with and are comfortable with moving at and go enjoy
the journey!
Let it Go - Forget about what brings you down and just take in the moment
We are on the ice and it is cold and that Frozen song came on and all of a sudden there was a different air in the room. The kids where singing, the skaters in the middle of the rink were “performing” . . I felt like I was surrounded by joyous little Disney princesses! How simple life can be in moments like that. And the message of the song to let it go is a powerful one indeed. Let it go and be unapologetically YOU!So there is my mini-essay and now I want to know which of these lessons you feel most drawn to on how it applies to your life?
Comment below or leave a comment on The STRONG Life Facebook Page!
BeYOUtiful!
~Melina
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