Corners

A couple months ago, I started short track speed skating. In the short time that I've been doing it, I have learned a few things, and they're mostly about corners, since that is what you do, when you skate the short track. First, corners come quickly. Second, much skill is needed to manoeuvre around a corner smoothly and quickly. Third, it's all about the corners!

Last Sunday I was skating on an outdoor rink and on one of these corners, my skate caught an edge and I fell. Hard. Without any dignity or gracefulness. I wish that I could of seen the whole thing in slow motion, I think it would have made my heart stop. One moment, I was skating, crossing over around the corner, the next moment my legs were going in different directions and I was landing hard on my left knee, then I was flipping onto my back....like I said, really graceful. The nasty bruise on my knee and half way down my shin is a testament to how unforgiving ice can be. I got up, and tried to skate a few more laps, but the fear of the infamous corner slowed me down as well as the throbbing in my knee.

I find it funny how falling can really mess you up in your mind. 'Cause really that's where fear starts. Brains are notorious for sending your body messages when you're afraid. Some people start shaking, others feel the need to scream, some people hyperventilate, some have the flight instinct and run in the opposite direction, still others wet their pants (I had to throw that one in there!). For me, fear shut me down. My body seemed so lethargic and useless after my tumble. I just couldn't get up the energy to skate that corner with confidence again.

In life, I have come to expect corners too. Corners are the turns that life takes, sometimes without any warning. It's interesting how I still think that corners are a distraction from life and I sometimes fear them, when really they are life. What I mean is that things like accidents, sickness, relational issues, financial struggles, job challenges, parenting crisis, and making choices that affect the future, are everyday things. They are corners, but they have significance because they take you somewhere. Corners are reality. They shape you and mold you. If I expect corners and know how to handle myself in them, they doesn't seem so scary. Even if you fall and mess up big time, you know that there is another one coming and you get to try again. Yeah, some corners are painful and you have the bruises to show for them, get up, take it slow and try again. There's something to learn in every corner...at least that's what my skates have been telling me.