Facing my Fear

For the last 4 years, I have been deathly afraid of one thing.

ICE.

Not the kind you put in your drink- The kind that happens after it snows and the snow gets packed down before it's shoveled or plowed; the kind that is hard to see unless you are really looking for it, and even then, it can sneak up on you; the kind that makes me petrified to take a step because I am so afraid of falling and landing on my precious wrist, like I have done time and time before.

If you think I'm exaggerating this fear, ask my friends. Ask my family. I can't even slide on ice for fun. I literally freeze up and am afraid to move, not sure if my next step will be stable or will miss and make me land flat on my back.

But today, I faced my fear- in an Olympic Ice Arena even!

I was invited along to play a few games of broom hockey with my friend's ward. I was kind of hesitant to begin with, but I agreed to go. I put on my old brace and my game face, and took my first steps onto the ice, knowing full well exactly what I was doing.

Of course there were some extremely slick spots, but after the first game, I was getting competitive (our team was losing, sadly) and I began to overcome my fear. I started not only walking on the ice, but running across the ice! There were a few times where my balance was in question, but after all was said and done, I didn't fall down once! I feel nearly invincible! Ok, maybe not quite that confident, but I do feel proud of myself that I was able to face my fear and have a good time, even if our team didn't come out on top.