Trying...

This past week we tried roller skating...key word here being 'tried'!

We went to the Roller Skating Place in Orillia last Sunday afternoon.

It is a fun, affordable family thing to 'try' at only $4 per person for a 3 hour afternoon skate or $5 for their Saturday night skate and includes your skate rentals. You are permitted to bring roller blades so long as they are clean.

Can you believe I have never roller skated?

Uncle mark invited us to join him and some friends and we absent mindedly said yes forgetting we had plans for company to come over that afternoon. When we realized we couldn't go roller skating because we had company coming over my selfish reaction was, "Yes! I don't have to roller skate". Then I saw my girls saddened by this same fact and I knew we had to still go. So we had to improvise. Ian stayed home with the company while I took the girls roller skating.

If I am to be totally honest about this roller skating experience I have to first admit that I am pretty set in my likes and my dislikes. Though I am open to new things; things that really push my limits are extremely hard for me to allow myself to try.

I admittedly (right or wrong) have my own personal bubble. I am very set in certain ways and I am quite comfortable in my bubble (but I am wise enough to know that when one gets too comfortable in their bubbles...one can not learn and grow). One area that is crammed particularly deep inside my bubble is doing something in which I may be made to look foolish. In myself I see no room for trial and error, no room for failure. I see things to succeed at and I tend to choose things to do which I know I can be successful in. When my sights are set in that direction I know I can conquer anything I put my mind to and I strive for excellence.

Thinking about this made me realize...how can I encourage my children to try new things if I don't bite the bullet myself and model my own courage to try something that scares me. Without trying I become a hypocrite...something I very much do not want to be.

So I had to put on my big girl pants. I had to suck in my fear of looking foolish because I don't know how to roller skate and actually 'try' it for my kids sake and for my own personal growth.

Luckily for me my limits didn't have to be pushed too far this first time. Mark and Sandra were a great help with both the girls allowing me a bit of time to figure out how to stand on wheels and pro-ject myself forward. Slowly, slowly and rather awkwardly I managed to get myself from where you get your skates to the other end of the rink where the carpeted learning area is. Here I could 'pretend' I knew what I was doing and help my girls 'try' themselves.

I was so proud of Sierra. Even though she didn't skate for long she did try. She tried through three pairs of skates to find a pair that was comfortable enough. She actually skated with help over to the learning area. She actually skated along the wall and tried to skate all a lone as well. As hard as it is for me as an adult to step outside my comfort zone I know that this was a huge success for Sierra to 'try'. Even though she really wanted to do it, the reality of actually putting on tight skates and actually trying to skate is a whole different story. Some might think that taking 15 minutes to find a pair of skates to keep on, and then trying for 15 minutes to skate is a waste of time...but not me. I recognize how hard this was for Sierra to do. How hard for her to keep her emotions in check and try instead of giving up and for that I am so proud of her. She did amazing!!!

 "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new"

-Albert Einstein

Aayla's personality allows her to try most anything and even like most everything she tries. She was a keener! Ever since the Olympics she has had a fascination with skating and roller skating held that same interest. She was a real trooper in the motto of:

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again"

-WC Fields

 Inch by inch she crept along and had an awesome time learning to skate! Not without the occasional fall.

“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”

-George E. Woodberry

Uncle Mark, Sandra and the kids took Aayla out to try the real rink (while Sierra and I took off her skates to watch) but it was a bit of a slip fest on the real rink and she was glad to come back to the learning area to gain some more control.

Here we continued learning to skate and mastering balance...

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

-Robert F. Kennedy

 Until she got tired too and was ready to go.

All in all it was fun. I managed to skate myself one complete circle around the rink before calling it quits. No one laughed at me (that I saw) and I didn't fall. However I still felt foolish because I am not a natural born skater. I have not succeeded in mastering this fear with one hours worth of trying. I will have to try again to succeed. I will have to push my limits even farther. It bothered my knee a bit but I will need to suck it up because Aayla had a blast! A few more times on the practice area and I can see Aayla becoming a competent roller skater.

"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. 

The saddest summary of a life is: 

could have, might have, and  should have." 

-Louis E Boone