this winter, i decided to join an adult figure skating league on a whim to find something different to do. quite frankly, i was getting sick of my daily pilates and running regimen, because it was something i've been doing for so long that it became routine, wasn't much of a challenge, and didn't require much thinking. i'd walk into the pilates studio, teach two classes, and not even feel like it was a work out.
usually, routine works well for me, especially when i was a student, and everything else in my student life seemed not so routine. however, now as a working adult working the mon-fri 7a-6p grind, more routine outside of work made me sick, and frankly, i missed learning.
so, i decided to take time off from teaching pilates this winter and take up figure skating. it's not something completely new to me-- i used to take lessons until 5th grade, but its been awhile and i forgot everything... so it's like starting from scratch. i think as adults, we rarely have the opportunity to start something new. perhaps its because we don't have enough time, perhaps we think its too late to pick up something new, perhaps we just don't have the sheer confidence to do it. we become used to routine... doing what we have always been doing our entire lives, and we get bored.
man, i think this experience has humbled me so much. i'm so used to doing the things i do, and working hard to do them well. but starting something new really reminded me of the long road and of how much practice it takes to get good starting from scratch, along with the amount of persistence it takes to see improvement. overcoming the habits i've formed in the past makes it harder. figure skating requires perfect form in order to balance properly and do every move. the secret: the bent knee. unfortunately, as a former gymnast/cheerleader, the secret to balancing was the locked knee... so this is something i have to constantly remind myself while skating, to keep my knee bent.
but there's something so fresh to learning something new. i love it. i love learning. and the rewards of mastering even a small skill are so encouraging. and over time, the progress is motivating, especially when you are able to overcome the initial learning curve and the learning momentum picks up.
today in class, i fell. two times. once, smack on my butt, the other time, forwards on my knees. it hurt, and you can bet that it wiped away any confidence i had built up on the skills i was practicing at the time of the fall. when i got up, i had to start from beginning to learn the skill. as i was driving home, i was reflecting on my morning and learned a lot about not just the physical falling, but the figurative falling (in life). here are the things i learned:
1) Everyone falls. When I fell, the first thing I thought was, "man, I suck at this." But then I remembered, even the best fall. Even as one of the best, Michelle Kwan fell in her long program after she's spent years practicing her program thousands of times. Not just the beginners fall! We all mess up, and we always fall short of God's glory-- even those whom may appear perfect. There is no success without first enduring the falls and hardships.
2) Pain is a necessary reinforcer of the crash. Pain doesn't go away right after. In fact, the next day it hurts even more. The bruises don't go away for weeks. Our poor choices and decisions can affect our friendships, families, employment, reputations, all of that. But the pain is a constant reminder that the crash hurts, and causes us to remember that it hurts to fall and reflect on what went wrong.
3) It's important to fall, because you can learn a lot by falling. The pain of destroyed relationships can become a positive motivator to act with more wisdom next time-- to value people over relationships, promotions, lesser valuable relationships.
4) You're not down forever. With a hand from someone and a bit of encouragement, we're back up and going again. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to overcome our hurts, but eventually the bruises will go away. And through it all, there was wisdom gained. It's those times when you don't accept help to get up or give up when you get pulled even lower. The fear isn't conquered, and it's always a weakness.
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