Ice Ice Baby...

There's something magical about ice skating.  Especially at Christmas.  I like nothing better than gliding across a glistening white sheet of ice with a bit of Wham and Mariah Carey to get me into the festive spirit.  This is the dream.  The reality consists of me wobbling with hands outstretched looking like I've got an iron rod for a spine.  It's anything but smooth, and every time I struggle clinging to the side the same thought enters my mind: 'why did I do this?'

The fear of falling on your ass is the biggest worry for most people.  And I am no exception.  The sheer embarrassment of being on your bum in front of a neatly formed audience.  And then not being able to get back up again.  Painful in every sense of the word.

Now I'm no stranger to falling on my bum, literally or metaphorically.  Sometimes I feel like Wagner from the X Factor: purely in existence for the entertainment of others.  Yes, anyone who knows me will tell you I've had my fair share of blonde moments.  From eating raw noodles at a restaurant buffet to rolling pastry with an ice cream scoop,  it seems I'm constantly acting (and speaking) without engaging my brain.  And yes I do have a brain.  On paper, I'm quite the academic.  It's just reality I seem to have lost my grip on.

However as much embarrassment as these moments have caused me, I've learnt to laugh at myself.  Perhaps it's so others appear to be laughing with me as oppose to at me.  Some would say it's an alternative to crying.  But I just think it's so I don't take myself seriously.  Not too seriously anyway.  The fact is everyone messes up from time to time.  Everyone will have a turn being on their bum in the middle of an ice rink whether you're two or twenty two.  But we've all got to find a way of getting back up on our feet.

Once I realised this my 'embarrassing' moments simply became funny stories to tell the flatmates.  There really is no shame in getting it wrong.  And trying to be right all the time would be ridiculously exhausting anyway.  So I will happily continue with life Bridget-Jones style.  Someone once said that the definition of intelligence was realising how little you know about the world.  I feel I have come to this conclusion, which reassures me that I'm not stupid, just inexperienced.  And there really is nothing wrong with that at the moment.  As a wise person once said, living is learning.

Be my...Friend?

With one in three marriages now ending in divorce, it's no surprise that Valentines day is dreaded by most of the population.  Even those in relationships feel the pressure to grab that last bunch of flowers from Tesco Express and a semi-decent card to ensure their loved one that they 'haven't forgotten'.  The singleton. The divorcee.  The unhappily married.  All wait impatiently for the fluffy teddies, heart shaped balloons and general over-commercialisation to disappear until next year.  So who actually enjoys it?  The teenage population?  Walking into school with a bunch of red roses and chocolates can't feel too bad.  Those recently committed perhaps?  But even then there's always the worry of a life-sized teddy making their new partner run in the opposition direction.  

But one person who definitely does love it is Mr Clinton.  Yes, whilst we hurriedly rush out and buy that card filled with words to melt the heart of our loved one, Mr C is cashing in the cheques and buying himself another Ferrari.  I am tempted to begin the 'over-commercialisation' of Valentines Day rant but I'm refraining because this year, I feel differently.

And no, it's not because I've found that significant other or soul mate.  I'm not head over heels in the conventional sense.  But right now my life is filled with so much love.  And that is something to celebrate in itself.  After all, the friends and family are the ones that help you survive the heartache, blunders and disaster dates in the dating world.  All the mistakes, stupid things you said and wrong decisions are somehow worth suffering if you can go home, share and laugh about it afterwards.  So if we're talking purely about love this Valentines Day, I have it in abundance.

Apologies if this blog doesn't give you that warm and fuzzy feeling a romantic comedy would.  Certainly, it doesn't include a bunch of roses or a cute card but it does have a happy ending.  I'm loved and there are many people in my life at the moment that I love to pieces.  That's got to count for something.  Love interests will come and go, make us smile and cry our eyes out but with good friends and family you really can't go far wrong.  So instead of wanting to crawl under a rock this Valentines Day, lets be happy with the love in our lives at the moment.  And who knows what the future will hold?