One of my favorite pastimes is ice skating because I feel like it’s the closest to flying I’ll ever get (until I go skydiving or bungee jumping but those aren’t regular activities I can go to whenever I want.)

They say no speed skating but I cheat a little every time. I crouch and bend my knees as far as they can without looking totally ridiculous and push off on either skate.

Back and forth. Each stride longer than the last. And when I finally know that I don’t need any more pushes to get from one end of the rink to the other I straighten, raise my arms a little ways away from my sides and finally lift my head from peering down at my skates.

The wind I’ve created catches my hair a little bit and for those brief 5-6 seconds I am in some clouds on earth.

I can’t help but smile while I glide and as I sit here thinking about it.

What a joy to be alive at a time when we can ice skate for $12 every Sunday from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m.