Life offers all kinds of unexpected intersections. They often are hidden in plain sight while we go about our daily routines.
Yesterday, our family went ice skating for the first time. While my wife and I had been on skates before, it had been many years ago. Our boys had never actually been on the ice, so we expected a number of falls along the way.
We were there for roughly two hours. It was a bright, sunny day and we were trying to make the most of it. With a winter storm fast approaching (and expected to dump two feet or more of snow on us tomorrow), it might end up being the last outdoor activity for some time.
In order to propel you along the surface, the ice skate actually makes tiny cuts that enable a thin layer of water. This action allows the skater to glide along. It also leaves behind fine ice shavings that eventually accumulate into larger chunks.
Over the course of time, these chunks will continue to build and make it increasingly difficult to sustain your travel. It gets harder and harder to skate because your skate can't slice as effectively for those long, elegant strokes.
About 2/3 of the way into our session, management cleared the ice for the Zamboni. If you have never seen this machine in action, it is actually fascinating to watch. It will scrape off the assorted chop on the top of the ice and spray a fresh, thin layer of water. The water will eventually freeze and form a fresh, glassy surface.
When they let us back out on the ice about ten minutes later, you could notice the difference immediately. It took much less effort to skate. Each step propelled you into an instant glide. I took a few quick spins around the oval. At one point, I carried a little too much speed and my feet went out from under me. I landed with a thud on my right hip. It hurt much more than I expected. Ice, after all, is a fairly unforgiving surface. Luckily, I sustained no more than a slight bruising to both my backside and my ego.
I only fell once; I can only imagine how my boys felt (they were both soaking wet from being covered in ice shavings that eventually melted). Fortunately for us, they never complained. It seems youth does cushion the blow and speed recovery time.
In this first week ahead with our new adventure, I sat back and recognized a number of parallels to our current situation.
Here's wishing you smooth skating with no falls along the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment