Over Coming Obstacles

Bob had skated with me at Wilmington, and also was the sound man for several Olympic preview shows on ice. So in 1991 when I skated to You’ll Never Walk Alone, and was almost at the end of my program, the music went extremely soft. Bob realized I was near a wall, and turned the volume down so I would sense where I was in the rink. I then managed to do my Russian split, plus an axle. The audience went wild. I appreciate all these little sensitive things. Bob understood without me explaining. Because he also skated with me, and was aware of what I had to go through to even skate. If the music is extremely loud, I can’t hear. If I skate too softly with my blades, I can’t hear. So another obstacle; sound.

If the base is extremely full, my energy seems to be affected as I skate. Who would have thought sound would be so important?

When the sound is balanced, my blades seem to respond. I use to think this was an excuse or a crutch as I would skate a bit slower if I couldn’t hear where I was going.

I never realized in those days how important sound is and how important for me a balanced sound affects me and my environment of skating.

The new arenas are fully equipped for incredible sound systems.
Unfortunately, sound systems do not help me as of yet, but I will learn, and I will somehow develop skills to master these sound challenges.

I am experimenting with how the energy feels as I come close to a wall or other people when I am practicing or when I am out on the ice performing a program. It is easy with a partner like when I dance or do beginning pair skating moves as I have someone to follow or at least hear where they are as to where I am on the ice.

I am also aware of the fact all humans have challenges. Mine might be sound, and your challenge is something else I’m sure. There is hope as we keep on feeling for what works rather than for what doesn’t work. This changes the whole perception of a challenge or an obstacle. They really are absolute opportunities for growth.

I will post more when I experience more about sound and how it relates to my energy as I feel it is important for all humans to be aware of extremely loud music, and its affect on our energy in us and around us.

Let me know if any of this makes sense.

Crisis Or Opportunity

We are living in truly exciting and quite challenging, and intense times. It’s as if we’re all acutely aware of possible crises, and at the same time, there is energy at work in all of us leading us away from this kind of habitual thinking. Crisis doesn’t always have to be crises. So it feels as if we for some years to come, we will be always on the edge, always on the brink of crises, and at the last minute, the lass hour, or at the last day we will manage to prevent crisis from occurring. So again; miracle mindedness is worth considering. It is worth considering for me anyway! We can soar through these times if we begin to remember who and what we really are. We really are spirits having physical experiences. If we already are whole; than we must be perfect spiritual beings. Physically we have to assume that spiritual which is invisible, really is the core of our being. You can’t see spirit, but you can feel its results by what physical energy does. So change doesn’t have to be fearful if we remember our wholeness, which is already underneath all changes. I have another phrase; under all disorder is order. My friends seem to like this one. We see the disorder and actually feel the disorder. It’s difficult to feel or see or even think about some kind of order when we feel so much disorganization or disorder in a day,
Hour, month or whatever. You’re getting the point I’m sure! As I feel the disorder, I become still. Here is where order lives or resides. It’s as if the home of quietness is order itself. I can’t begin to explain how this works. Picture this; you’re looking at a lake. The water in the lake is so still. You drop a tiny pebble into the still water. What happens when you drop that tiny pebble into the still water? Little tiny waves ripple through the water. Eventually, the water gets still again. Here is order restored or remembered. Order just like still water always exists under the waves. Think of a storm. The eye of a major storm is still and quiet. Around the eye however is a terrific storm. Much disordered power exists. So go back to center. Back to the eye of the storm where complete stillness lives. This is a terrific metaphor in my life. My clients seem to enjoy this one as soon as they feel it. As soon as they feel it, they get it.

Equality And Education

It took lots of guts, plus courage for my parents to allow me to follow my dreams. It took courage also for them to watch as I began exploring ice-skating as a sport
So at the beginning; they just drove me to the rink and watched, and hoped I wouldn’t hurt myself. My Father wasn’t so concerned about me physically being hurt. He was more worried how emotionally and mentally I could learn to handle the challenge of being the only skater who happened to be blind. This was his major worry. It took him years to realize that skating would be the vehicle that would teach me just what and how important the word equality would become in my life. As the years flew by, my Father began realizing that ice-skating was part of my education system. Skating would teach me life skills. Ice-skating would teach me how to solve problems, cope with disappointments, and most of all restore my self worth to myself. Dad knew that it wasn’t just ice skating I was trying to accomplish. He intuitively understood that I was after something even greater than ice-skating. Mom already knew this. She knew this since I was born. She understood that my coming into the physical world was a challenge, and she realized that challenge would be something that I would learn to welcome. Not all the time, but she understood as well that I would learn to use the word challenge as an opportunity for growth. All of this mind you; was not spoken about in those days when I was a teenager.