To Skate Or Not To Skate...

That is the question I asked myself last week. It seemed up until that point I had been living for other things besides my immediate joy, focusing more on the notions of stress and work. I had been talking about going ice-skating to friends for quite some time and I finally decided last Friday that strapping on some skates would be a wonderful way to find a little joy.

I remember the first time I went ice-skating. I was 13 years old and it was during a trip to Rockefeller Center with some friends from school. I can recall being excited in just preparing to go on this trip. I remember telling my mother that I needed to find the "perfect outfit." We canvassed the mall until closing one night after getting home from work and school. I had to look hot (Ok, I know y'all must be asking yourselves: what exactly did a "hot" Leepak look like at 13? Think Ronnie Devoe from New Edition -- short jheri curl hairdo, squinty eyes and pink Gazelle glasses whose lenses covered half my face…ahhh yes, the excesses of the 80’s!! Yes folks, it was tragic and completely true. Everyone has their awkward adolescent stage and that was mine. And what makes this even more tragic to think about: I have pictures!) I believed myself to be somewhat "fashion forward" in wearing a seafoam green sweater set -- complete with leggings (now don't laugh...leggings were a big deal back in 1986!) and a seafoam and white hat and glove combo. Thinking back, I probably looked like an oversized Crayola crayon –- monochromatic and WRONG!! But I, of course thought I looked cute and would fit in perfectly with the teenaged junior high school crowd that I would be around. I remember having a wonderful time.

Fast forward 20 years and here I find that the excitement was still visible. Granted I didn’t go out shopping for a special skating outfit and it wasn’t a maneuver to expand the lines of friendship, but it was my chance to put all of the worries of my life aside for a while and just float happily along. I called in my reinforcements, also known as Deo. I figured what better way to experience life than to have a good friend travel the journey with you –- or in this case, glide on artificial ice and share in a fall (and a laugh) or two. And so at approximately 5:25pm with my daily hours billed and my desk cleared, I turned off my computer, left the office and met up with Deo for our adventures at Wollman Rink in Central Park. After meeting up, Deo and I hopped on the train and made our way to Central Park via Fifth Avenue. There is something so inherently stellar about this Manhattan thoroughfare -– Tiffany & Co., F.A.O Schwarz, and the Trump Tower –- it’s one of the many jewels in the crown that is New York City. As Deo and I got closer to the Fifth Avenue entrance we were slowly being overwhelmed by a caustic smell; also known as manure unleashed by the old and tired horses that perused the grounds. It seems like these impertinent sights and smells are as much a staple of the park as the park itself.

We were lucky in deciding to come to the rink on this particular evening as we were given free admission as part of a promotion sponsored by the Bank of America. So, we smiled and listened to the shpeel (and took the cheesy bank brochures) given to us at the door and then went in to rent our skates and a lock for our things. It was a bit of a surreal experience to have ice skates on again after so many years. But we strapped on our rentals and made our way to the ice. The first words out of Deo’s mouth as we came out onto the rink were: “I’m scared and I’m not afraid to admit it!” I honestly was a bit nervous myself as falling and chipping a tooth or breaking a bone was my biggest fear. But I’ve been conquering all sorts of fears, big and small, as of late and this was just another one to get past. With that, Deo took my hand and we braced ourselves for our first wobbly steps on the ice. After shaking off our initial nerves, we glided less than gracefully around the rink. We blended into the scene with the crisp New York air hitting our faces, Christmas muzak streaming into the night and fellow skaters smiling and laughing all around us. It essentially was a Norman Rockwell painting come to life.

This is me after gliding around the ice for about a half an hour. And while I was waiting for the Zamboni machine to finish clearing the ice, I was practicing a triple Salchow in my head that would make Dorothy Hamil and Michelle Kwan proud!

This was the most relaxed I had been in some time. Considering all I’ve had on my mind for the past few weeks were deadlines and trial preparation checklists, this was a welcomed relief. And although we initially started out as a literal shoulder for the other to lean on, at one point Deo and I found ourselves looking at each other from across the ice. I was glad that he was there to share in yet another New York experience with me. I called my friend Justine to ask her to join us, but after pounding the pavement for a few weeks, she was preparing herself for a job interview. So, although she was not there to glide along with us, I know she was there in spirit! You'll be there the next time Jus!

It was an hour before closing and after skating around the rink and spending what seemed like my life savings on a hot dog and two itty bitty juice boxes, I was ready to head home. My ankles hurt (I'm so out of shape!), my hands were cold and my search for a little joy was fulfilled.

Henry Ward Beecher once said that the art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. And just as I did as an awkward teenager, I was able to find joy and happiness in my friends and a pair of rented ice skates.