Practice Without Prejudice

When I began skating, I made two rules for myself: 1. If I was well enough to go skating, I was well enough to go to school or work. If I skipped either school or work, I had to skip skating. 2. If I don't have the funds to skate, I wouldn't borrow it from anyone, nor would I accept it from anyone. I've only broken that rule once, when I borrowed money from my Mom. I paid her back ASAP; she charged interest. With both of those rules in mind, I am off the ice this week. Mostly because of rule #2, but I'll be back next week. Also, I began working out again like a crazy woman and well, I'm much more sore than I expected. Stumbling across a series of workout videos on Youtube, I discovered something called: FitnessBlender. If you decide to try it, I'll give you fair warning: it will kick your buttocks worse than when Forest Gump got shot in the buttocks during his time in the army with Bubba and Lt. Dan. I started on Tuesday (I have so much trouble starting things on Mondays), it's Thursday and I still have pain from things I did on Tuesday. Thus far, I haven't repeated any of the workouts (we're only talking 3 workouts here) but, this morning I was able to fit into a dress I couldn't zipper up just last month. Part of this transformation could be attributed to my lack of real appetite and lack of funds to buy food. Eating is overrated sometimes. Besides, I really want to stop taking hypertension medicine. Since I'm not on the ice, I've been watching other adult skaters on Youtube. I mean absolutely no disrespect whatsoever, because I think my skills are sorely lacking 99% of the time, but, some of the people I've been watching are no better than I am and yet, they are fearless. Watching someone throw themselves into an axel when they have the shakiest back outside edge makes me feel as though I've been way too critical of my own skills. Add to the fire the fact that my coach has another adult student who is working on harder skills than I am and I can actually land more jumps and spin better than she does, really makes me feel as though I need to cut myself a bit more slack. Sometimes I wonder if there is a prejudice of sorts when one adult is heavier than the other. In my case, I also have a series of injuries to deal with, but it has to be really bad for me to complain about it. Thus far, I've been quiet about my back, shoulder, cough and head; they've all been behaving themselves anyway. Just no gluten; figure out that's a trigger for migraines for me. Back on the ice on Tuesday or Wednesday. I think I'll pull myself up by my bootstraps and try 1000% harder and stop judging myself so harshly. Let's make this our credo from now on: Practice without prejudice.

Don't It Always Seem to Go That You Don't Know What You've Got 'Til It's Gone...

Don't you hate it when your skills go and visit other people and don't want to come back? For reasons I cannot comprehend (AGAIN), I seem to have lost the ability to skate. Not just jumps and spins, but stroking and turns. I usually blame it on a lack of practice, but I've been practicing more these days and yet, my skills are still AWOL. I find it more and more aggravating because as I get older; it becomes more frustrating. Perhaps in my subconscious mind, I am still hearing the stinging remarks of my coach regarding my technical skills. Or maybe it's because my fellow adult skater (we skate the same session, have the same coach) is working on harder jumps even though she doesn't land the easier ones any more or better than I do. I don't know what it is, but it is bugging the heck out of me. I'm a very competitive person by nature. I've been thinking, mostly because two of my rinks are closed temporarily due to compressor issues. I've come to the conclusion that I really CAN skate... And nobody in all of Oz No wizard that there is or was Is ever going to bring me down!! ** With that in mind, I checked my finances, and well, let's just say they are stretched a bit thin. I'll skate the next two weeks, even if it's only twice. I need to practice and workout. Speaking of working out, who here LOVES spin class the way I do. I love it!! And it works wonders for me. Unfortunately, a gym membership isn't in the cards right now, but perhaps in the near future. Right now, I'm working out at home and at work, alone. Please don't tell my sister/roommate, but I hate working out with the former dancer. She's more flexible, in much better shape, and doesn't have as many pain issues to deal with. But don't tell her, she seems to think I enjoy it; but I don't. Plus, she's pushy. So enough about that. I'll be on the ice one day this week and report back to you all. Keep your fingers crossed that my skills will return. I think it has everything to do with core strength. On a totally different note, I have just been informed that the place where I park my car, 8 1/2 blocks from my home, is being torn down to put up a house. The lyric is "pave paradise, put up a parking lot" not bulldoze a parking lot, put up a house. Isn't that backwards? I'm all for progress and more people living in house, but who ever heard of parking lot to home? And I should mention, it's not a big parking lot either; it holds maybe 18 cars. Odd. **Defying Gravity from Wicked by Stephen Schwartz