The blades meet the ice

Remember how we learned standing up when we were toddlers? We fell.

Remember how we learned walking? We fell too.

How about ice skating? It's no different.

I can't tell you how many times I have fallen on the ice over the years.

I don't take instructions very well, that's my ego. But when I'm so eager to learn something, I try it myself before seeking advice. That's how I got myself into trouble, especially all the bruises from try and error instead of taking classes. I was, hmmmm, probably 35 then. Yeah, I was stupid, but in the end, it pays off.

Kids in Minnesota take on ice when they are three to four years old, and they skate until the age when their legs couldn't handle it anymore, possibly at 60 to 70-some years old. I have seen a 2-year-old boy in hockey outfits playing hockey with his dad. To me, it's almost like an entitlement.

I'm a transplant and I won't be like those who pick up a hockey stick and turn into hockey stars in a pickup game, but my sheer joy to land the blades on ice is no less than their thrills on body-checking while handling a stick. And sometimes I'm daydreaming while on smooth ice, and "bong".....

"STAY OFF MY WAY!" BOOM (crash)! #@&^*!