skating by fear versus conquering fear.

sunday, february 4, 2018 marked a really special moment for me. It was the first time I’ve really conquered a conscious fear of mine. I went ice skating for the first time in over a decade. (watch our instastory on our highlights under ‘mnm: ice skatin’ so you can watch the story in action)

when I was in seventh grade, I got an ice skate in the knee and eleven stitches. over a decade later, I haven’t been back in a rink since. on this day (february 4, 2018), I laced up skates and spent almost an hour with alex on the maggie daley skating ribbon, while big flakes of snow flurried around us. alex has been asking me since we started dating five years ago to go skating with him. as it’s such a tradition romantic “thing” to do in the city, especially downtown during christmastime. year after year I’ve turned him down, terrified to be embarrassed, hurt, or both. but I surprised myself so much in that hour on the ice. after a few times around holding onto the railing, I started testing myself. soon enough, I edged closer to the middle and found that I even picked up a little speed here and there. alex and I skated holding hands, which is precisely why I got hurt all those years ago. I was so proud of myself for even stepping two feet into the rink, let alone actually attempting to skate or even skate well. alex was super excited and encouraging the whole time, which made me feel even happier to be there, and I was thrilled that I didn’t fall even once.   truly, though, I never would have gotten on the ice had it not been for alex’s encouragement, and belief in my power to conquer my fears. in all honesty, I did it at first because I knew it would make a good video. but it became so much more than that. I am so happy I did it, and so happy that I could give alex an experience he’s been wanting to share for a very long time. In fact, I had enough fun that I would even consider doing it again.