As Promised

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Dream Big Dreams Even if You’re Old

Since the decision to start up, I’ve been stretched in many new and good ways. However, this latest feat of mine, the greatest challenge of all challenges, my very own metaphorical ascent to Machu Picchu if you will, had nothing to do with heady branch coordinator stuff.  It was, instead, all about reminding this old body of mine that it could still skate.  And it had everything to do with our latest event plan to attend Winterlude with the kids and take them skating on the 7 km canal. 

It was my idea, of course, that we would go.  This is Ottawa, after all!  It would be WRONG not to give the kids this amazing opportunity to don some skates and follow in an Ottawa tradition that never gets old.  So, I needed to get with the program, buy some skates and see if those old skating neural pathways in my brain were still accessible and my body would, in fact, remember how to do it.   

With a little research, much to my delight, I discovered that there were alternatives to the cold, white, leather figure skates of old.  This type of skate was the main reason why I hung up my skates for good (or so I thought), those mumble mumble years or so ago. I spent some years as a child in Montreal where outdoor rinks are a dime a dozen and I have many a fond memory of bumpy ice, frozen toes and cups of hot chocolate.  But when I got older and wanted to share the experience, as any good Canadian mother does with her kids, I couldn’t skate with the then-only-available white leather figure skates.  They hurt my feet, they were too COLD (and yes I wore socks and they were the right size). I decided I was having trouble because I was probably getting too old (I think I was 27), so my skates were put away and never used or seen again until the garage sale I had in 2007 where they were finally dispensed with forever.

But it’s a better day now!  Now, you can buy skates that look more sporty than pretty and are easier to handle on the ice.  This is what I was told when I tried this new type of skate on at our local sport shop (the best place to go is somewhere where the clerks know about skates and not a big box store if you’re buying skates for the first time).  My trustworthy salesman went on to say that his wife had the same problem as I and even she, who had also given up skating in frustration, was now skating again with these new sport skates.  He said, “She’s still not very good, but she’s skating with the kids and that’s great!”  I totally related!  This was me!!  My spirits rose and I felt  empowered.   Maybe even I, as old as I am and not having skated for a plethora of years, yes, even I, would skate again!  With barely a bat of an eyelash, I bought these newer, shinier, ON SALE, portals to Canadian skate heaven!  It’s for the kidz, after all.  I at least needed to try.

And try I did.  I’d like to say that I rushed home, immediately put on my skates and went to the outdoor rink next door to give them a try.  But I didn’t.  Instead, they sat on the floor near the couch in my living room while I gathered courage.  It’s not a pretty sight, you see, to watch someone like me take a fall on ice.  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get over the embarrassment and I was very very sure I’d never get back up. But, every now and then the sun through my south east window would blink off the metal blades like an advertisement in Times Square.  “Use me now!” they seemed to cry. “Don’t wait to try!!” All the time needling and nagging me without retreat.  Finally, almost a week after I bought my new sporty skates, when they seemed to glisten one time too many, I broke. I knew I needed to have a practice run before I took on the canal with the kids.  So, having found no other excuse not to, there was nothing else I could do.  I needed to I brave it up and meet the challenge.  So, I grabbed my coat and skates before I changed my mind and charged on downward (I live in an apartment) to the rink next door.

When I got to the rink I saw one lone young very good hockey player nonchalantly shooting pucks into the net.  He was good. All the way there, I was hoping there wasn’t a game on so I could skate and felt good when I saw no one but him.  I could handle one player on the ice surely.  I also noticed boards erected behind the net and felt this would be a good bar to prop myself on, should I lose my balance and the need arise.  So, onward I went.  Skates on, check!  Courage up, check!  It was easy getting to the rink from the bleachers as there was about a foot of snow to sink into.  But, when I got to the rink and gingerly stepped onto the ice I must have looked quite ridiculous when one small patch of ice seemed to want to take me down.  Thankfully it didn’t, but I did quite a dance over to the boards to which I quickly clung.  I was quite glad that the hockey player wasn’t paying attention as he was off in his own little world plugged into his IPOD shooting pucks like he was born with a stick in his hand.  I advanced virtually unscathed.

And so, somewhat like a soldier performing guard duty I began to skate.  Holding on to the boards with my left hand I moved forward along the parallel and then when I got to the end (about 25 feet) I turned and went back holding on with my right.  And thus, I gained my confidence.  I did this quite a few times, back and forth, back and forth, until finally I began to let go.  And I was standing!  At this point I’m still between the net and the boards so as to stay out of the hockey player’s way, but gradually, ever so gradually I was skating without assistance in this small space.  My confidence soared.  Finally, when the player packed up and left I took on the whole ice surface and was actually skating almost as well as I did when I was kid.  Much like my salesman’s wife, I was not very good, but I was skating.  My concentration levels were high, because my goal was to remain upright, but after a while I was even starting to speed up and do cross overs and even go in the alternate direction.  I FELT AMAZING!! I was skating!!  Triumph, at last!

Since then, in preparation for our First Annual Canal Skate, I’ve been for more practice runs, and I’m still skating reasonably well.  It took a few moments for my brain to remember where it had stored that information, but once found, it was just like the old days when I was a kid in Montreal.  I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I LOVE my new sport skates.

So, I guess if you’re looking for some type of moral in this story it’s this:  One of the greatest things we teach the kids each week is that it’s okay to dream big dreams, and that with God you can do anything.  It’s nice to know that this still counts even for me and for all of us who think we’re getting a little too old to feel young again.  The date for the canal skate is fast approaching, and my next report will be complete with happy pictures of children enjoying their fun on the rink --- and with one a-little-bit-over-the-hill branch coordinator grinning from ear to ear --- and STILL STANDING!

More Child Poverty Resources

1 in 10 Canadian children living in poverty: Report Please read this article from the Montreal Gazette which does a very good job of summarizing the 2010 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada issued by Campaign 2000. According to their website "Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada public education movement to build Canadian awareness and support for the 1989 all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Campaign 2000 began in 1991 out of concern about the lack of government progress in addressing child poverty. Campaign 2000 is non-partisan in urging all Canadian elected officials to keep their promise to Canada's children." Both the article and the report are a good read. They do an excellent job of highlighting how poverty impacts families and their long term effects on society generally.

I hope you take the time to learn a little about this very important issue --- then take what you've learned and use it to make a difference.

..And ONE for all!!