Weekend Meditation: Be In The Moment

Last night I went ice skating with my husband in Bryant Park. It was a night of firsts: my first time skating since I was little, my first time skating in New York, and the first time I'd ever been skating with my husband. Every winter we've talked about going skating together, but it's never actually happened. And it almost didn't happen last night either. I was grumpy. I was cold. I didn't feel like trekking uptown. And I let my husband know this via my unenthusiastic general sullenness as I met up with him and put my skates on.

You probably know where this is going, and I agree it sounds pretty cheesy. As soon as she stepped on the ice, her spirits probably lifted and the night turned into a bundle of fun and joy. Don't worry—I won't put it that way!

My poor husband. He knew I was being unpleasant, but he didn't give into me. He pretended not to notice and stayed upbeat while we laced up our skates and shuffled over to the bag check. I think he had faith I was going to perk up and have a good time if I could just get over myself. And I could tell how excited he was to be there! (He's a very good skater but, like me, hasn't been skating in years.) And what a great place to be: at a skating rink in the middle of New York on a clear and crisp winter evening. And I was complaining.

I can be pretty stubborn, and I was determined to keep my bad mood going simply because I didn't want to admit I was being a child. But when we started skating, I couldn't help thinking that, well, this was pretty fun! And I told my husband how when I was little, I wanted to be like Katarina Witt (a German Olympic figure skater). And then I wasn't in a bad mood anymore.

I'm so glad I didn't cancel. I'm glad my husband didn't let me ruin his mood. I'm thankful his good cheer was patient and gentle enough to help me get over myself and get into the moment. Because it was a pretty good moment.

(Image: Skate - 11x14 signed photograph by Etsy seller JenniferDennisPotter, $35)

Comments (5)

Thanks for this post! I have had moments like this where I stubbornly refused to switch my mood to a more positive one. I don't know why we do it when we always regret it later on! Great lesson learned! Life is short and we should get over ourselves!

I'm always finding excuses not to go outside into the damp cold in the winter, but you're right if you're going somewhere fun it's worth it and you should give it a go.

we were given this lesson in yoga class today - really just get out of the way and good things happen. It's amazing how well that works.

It's always so tempting in the wintertime to just hunker down at home and hibernate . . . but I never regret it when I do manage to get my lazy butt out and do things. The season has its own beauty, which you can forget if all you're thinking about is how cold it is.

glad you got turn a cold winter night into a cheery one! one of my favorite date nights last winter was ice skating in Bryant Park with Jon--it's such a fun atmosphere, and the crazy energy of the city chills out just a bit. we didn't get to go again before we moved... but you've inspired me to make a point to get out to the rink in Millennium Park while we're still in Chicago!