Iceskating Is Life...Or Something Like That

I know I'm getting older when I start to pick life lessons out of a simple past time like ice skating. I'm already starting to be that old lady that tells stories to my kids about how I learned such-and-such by some random event that happened in life. Where it took me last night was a little bit cliche, I will be the first to admit that, but it was nonetheless a teaching and learning moment for me, a God-speaking moment.

Last night, Paul and I took the kids to the Ice Box for a night of ice skating arranged by Lincoln Berean Church. I'm not a confident person when it comes to blades and ice and little 8 year old kids whizzing by me and purposely falling just to know what it's like to fall on ice. Neither am I entirely comfortable being the adult that kids cling to for safety from falling on the ice. But I do like to do new things and I try to lead by example, so even though I was completely conscious of how hard the ice can be IF I were to fall down, I had to act in all confidence that it's not that scary so my daughter and son would learn to let go of the rail.

Eventually, just as I suspected it would happen, all of us got our bearings and got used to the ice and we were skating around with an edge of pride that we could actually do it without falling down. And due to my feet disagreeing with me in the event being fun, I paused on the side from time to time to apologize to them. As I was waiting on the side, a man I knew from high school came next to me with his son and introduced his son. We made small talk and his son told me about how many times he had fallen down.

Instead of just being cool and talking to the boy about how fun it is to fall down and feel the cold ice, I almost instinctively just replied "But you're back up now and you're getting better, aren't you?" We exchanged a few more words and then he and his dad were quickly off again to skate (probably to avoid me more than anything else).



* Disclaimer: The above photo did not actually happen last night at the Ice Box, in case you were wondering*


I sat on the side a bit longer and looked around and that's when my God-speaking moment happened. I saw parents in the crowd who were watching their kids skate. There were parents who were on the ice but opted out of the skates and were helping their kids skate while they walked in the comfort of their tennies. There were young kids that skated like pros and grown men who fell down with no grace, dignity or athleticism whatsoever. (Yes, I laughed at the latter).

Such is life, is it not? Choose your sport, choose your venue and apply it to life. Life is this great opportunity of fun and learning that God has presented before us. Some of us get the hang of it right away. Some of us choose to watch. Some choose to take their time in learning while others take their time to teach. Some skate gracefully and with class while others struggle with each stride. Some dare while others are cautious. Some skate in groups while others are content to enjoy it alone. We fall down or stumble along the way, we get a little hurt or embarrassed or self-conscious, but eventually we DO all get back up. I didn't see one person still wailing around on the ice after falling down, being drug off the ice by other skaters. And I'm willing to bet that even the people that limped out of there with bruises and scrapes and hurt dignity would tell you how much fun it was.