This is cross-posted to Instagram from the caption of my 3/8/23 Reel, seen below.
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Happy Skate-aversary to me! 2 years ago today I was in a funk I've come to know over the years as March Sucks.
This is the point of the winter when I am just done with blah weather and general busyness with seemingly no end in sight. My Seasonal Affective Disorder is usually at its annual high, and I'm craving any drop of serotonin and/or dopamine I can get, it seems.
This time in 2021, we were all at the year marker of the beginning of the pandemic and feeling similar to how I’m feeling this year.
I was scrolling Instagram and came across a Reel of three skaters (@disht6, @neonkeon, & @the_good_guy91) dancing to Crack by @Indiadebeaufort - and then I found myself clicking on the hashtag #crackthatskatechallenge and losing myself to Instagram Reels of dance skating all morning!
I found people skating around their living rooms and driveways while stuck in lockdown or quarantine, and I was instantly mesmerized and inspired! People of all genders, sizes, ages, and skill levels were simply putting on roller skates and working with the space they had, then posting their progress and being cheered by the awesome online skating community. It seemed so simple and fun, I could help feel compelled to join!
The only problem: I was a terrible skater and was actually terrified of being on skates. NBD, right?
But something about seeing people use their time to pick up this skill, especially skaters doing daily challenges, was the motivation I needed to justify impulse-buying a pair of skates.
I used my upcoming 38th birthday as an excuse and told myself that as a present to myself, I’d learn how to roller skate. I made a whole plan and brainstormed in my journal about all the reasons I wanted to learn to skate (including my love for the movie and soundtrack to “Xanadu”) and I also listed all the excuses I might come up with to self-sabotage.
By making my lists to help remind me of my motivation and make a plan. I had the idea to simply get on the skates at least once a day for 10 minutes minimum.
Maybe I’d skate, maybe I wouldn’t, but I’d at least get used to wearing wheels on my feet and see what happens from there.
I got all kinds of pads and a helmet, which made me feel less afraid of falling. I tried to stick to a budget, but I definitely splurged on padded shorts that I wore for the first few months every time I skated.
The daily practice worked and not only did I learn to skate, I posted about my daily practice on Instgram for more than 100 days in a row! Bonus: This podcast editor got to work on her video editing skills and learned a lot more about Instagram Reels in the process.
I also made a lot of awesome friends through the online skating community — there are some fantastic pockets of interest-based people on social media if you know where to look!
My favorite skating focus was when I put together an weeklong celebration of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for Halloween, which raised $250+ for @truecolorsunited, a non-profit organization created by @cyndilauper to help support programs for homeless LGBTQ+ youth!
The last year or so, my skating practice hasn’t been as regular, but I try to get on skates a few times a month and I’ve even got to shift some of my new skills to ice skating — another hobby I never EVER thought I’d pick up!
Skating has become a favorite tool to help me manage anxiety, improve my focus and concentration, lose myself in music, and process my emotions through movement. My ADHD brain seems to love the mind-body connection and the dopamine release when I nail a new move and drill it until it's nailed.
The movement of skating and the feeling of my wheels going over the hardwood in my living room warms up my leg and hip muscles, which can sometimes give relief to the pain and discomfort I experience because of Adenomyosis.
Turning 40 next month, I love that I get to start a new decade as the roller skater I always wanted to be, and hopefully I can inspire others to try new things they’ve always wanted to, no matter what age or stage they're at.
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