The Rink of Life

Life is like a skating rink.  While young you stand outside the rink in but your socks gazing at the colors of the lights and at all the beautiful skates as they do tricks that you don't quite understand.

As you become a bit older you wander past the many rows of skates, studying them all until you find the perfect pair for you.  The right size, color, and style.  Once you've chosen your skates you learn to put them on and how to lace them up and tie them.  You grow wiser and watch all the skaters while you start to test your own skates on the carpet until you think you've got it.  

Then cautiously, or for others boldly, we make our way to the rink.  Putting first one foot in the rink, while holding on to something, then the other foot.  The wood flooring is slicker than the carpet that you are used to.  With baby steps you inch around the rink for the first time holding on to those you trust mindful of the other skaters that whiz past you.  Holding on to something with first both hands then one and finally none you skate.  

You then strike out on your own.  Yes, you do fall when you pick up too much speed, but there are those who help you up, dust you off, and help you along.  There are also those who push you down.  You will whiz past those lights that you had once wondered at.
Once you have skated that rink many times you will start to slow down.  you will skate at a more leasurely pace and begin to once again look at those lights that you had so long forgotten.  Finally you will slow to a stop and step out of that rink, the rink of life, to rest your weary, blistered feet.

- written 3/31/2009