remembering when I was fit

Hi there all
I had and experience 2 weeks ago. I have this thing that I do with my kids that we call "Challenge of the Week". This is where we find something to do that is either new or exciting that we haven't done in a while. The purpose of this is to keep living our lives actively and not getting into passive living. I want for the kids to never have fear of doing new things or not... well..... living their lives to their fullest.
Okay, so 2 weeks ago, I loaded up the kids and one boyfriend onto the bus and went to Quito to do the challenge of the week. Challenge of the week, was a component of the trip, as we went also to do some shopping and get out of little Banos. That week's challenge was to find the ice rink and skate. As Canadians we have a nose for snow and ice, if there is a rink in Ecuador, leave it to us to find one. I know, 4 hours one way just to skate is a bit is a bit much, but to break the spell of passive requires commitment and urgency. We took the time to shop a bit and explore check out a mall, eat exotic food and look at art, then off to the rink. The kids had a great time skating and the pre-adventure of shopping was fun too.
Andres, the boyfriend and never skated before and had to learn to push out of his shell and be okay with making a fool of himself and fall. We celebrated falling as a bigger accomplishement than the standing. It was big for him but he pushed through. It was a lesson for both of my kids in learning how important it is to not let your fears control your life. We often learn more in the error than we do in the accomplishment.
Dane met a young girl and hand in hand skated with her. She was an exchange student from Georgia visiting for the year, he even got her e-mail, too bad for him it was incorrect and he can't contact her. But it is good to know that he is willing and wanting that kind of friendship. We can find and make friends anywhere.
For the kids this weeks challenge brought lots of enlightenment. Their light bulbs over their heads were going off constantly.
For me, it was very interesting, too. I am on a journey of self exploration and inner growth, so it was very cool to learn more. I found myself drawn to the ice when normally I might have just taken pictures of the kids and not skated. But something in me called to the ice that I couldn't resist. I was a skater when I was a kid. What was interesting for me was that after stopping skating, I never looked back. What shocked me was I actually blocked it out of my memory. The book that I am working with has me go back to certain memories and work with them. So having the opportunity to skate brought out perfectly what I needed to experience again. I toodled about skating in that aweful public skating circle, but then I found my feet moving and stepping and doing those little tricky foot works that I used to do. I found I missed moving, gliding and breathing over the cool surface, even smelling in deeply the smells that ice arenas have. I even got the usual and very, painful, bleeding blisters that I used to get but for some reason, this time it was okay. I was moving and flowing, and it was then that I realized that I had forgot what it was like to move and feel good in my body. I realized that skating had made it easy for me to balance in yoga and made it easy for me to dance and flow. I found I could give thanks for the skating experience. I also found that I missed moving easily and flowingly, like I used to when I was a kid, but I was remembering. I have been quite committed to going back to yoga again and I am grateful for it in helping the skating be easier. But I am grateful for the skating for making the yoga easier too. I am grateful for skating for many different things, now. I guess now is the time for honoring the happy, and the forming memories, enjoying the good and carrying on. I am still nursing these blisters, they are still painful, but now I am using them as a reminder for the joy of free movement instead of hanging onto static pain. I will continue on the path of a healthy body. I will ask Rob to bring back to Ecuador, Dane's old tap shoes and "play" dance with them, I will continue to flow and move, only in tap shoes this time. Dane has long since grown out of them so I will carry on with them and enjoy movement as what those shoes were meant to do..... like I was meant to do. I will continue with the kids to experience "Challenge of the Week" as I have found I need it in some ways more than they do. Growing is not just for the young.
Robin