The “Things that Scared Me” Weekend

SkatingatICEThis weekend was all about doing things that scare me, and I’m not just talking about the root canal I had on Friday. And along the way, I completed some things on that never ending list of the broken or undone.

Friday started off with a bang—root canal time. I found out I needed one in late September/early October. So, you can see that I got right on that. Luckily, I have now checked that one off the list with minimal trauma (and the doc who did it was actually very nice).

Saturday was the LA travel show. I’ll write more about that in the travel blog, but I have to say that this was one of those things that made me very nervous. On the plus side, the numbing agents from the previous day’s root canal had faded, and I once again had complete use of facial muscles. On the down side, I had to talk to strangers—a lot of strangers. I consoled myself with the thought that these people wanted attention and were there to meet people interested in their destinations and products. That almost helped. But I have to say I took a very deep breath when I approached my first booth. I stammered a little, but eventually got the rhythm down, got much better at handing out my business card, and learned some things about a lot of different places in the process. Not a bad day’s work!

Sunday was a totally unexpected trip to the outdoor ice rink in Santa Monica– because what else would you do when it is nearly 80 other than go outdoor ice skating? Today is the last day for it, so if you have the day off, head for Santa Monica! I had not been on skates in, conservatively, 23 years.  The boyfriend and I had tried to go down for a date night, but it was so incredibly crowded before Christmas, that we opted for calmer pursuits. So, here I was determined to not let another year go by without trying my hand at the skating.

Naturally, I assumed I would have all the grace and skill that I had 20+ years ago. And I probably did, but with time those memories have faded. In my current state, my prowess on the ice was not quite up to the dream scenario.  Olympic glory is most certainly behind me.  The first time around the rink I hugged the wall, and was openly resentful of anyone hanging out on my wall. The next time I went around I got a bit braver, though probably not more graceful. All in all, I probably only did five full revolutions, but by the end I was away from the wall, and dodging daredevil children. What kept me going? The all 80s/early 90s medley that was playing. While I had not been on the ice in years, the music that was playing was actually the same as the last time I stepped on it. So, if this was my last skating foray, at least that was a nice bookend.

What scary things did you do this weekend?