Super Angie...friends

A friend recently said
"You know when you really want to have a friend to hang out with and then suddenly a friend comes into your life and you now have the opportunity to hang out, but then you realize, the reason you never had a friend before was simply because you are so crazy busy, you don't have time for hanging out".

Wow. Totally made sense and I totally could relate to this. Completely relate.

All my life, everyone has had close friends, except me. I would look in, seeing their joy, happiness, movie outtings, BFF trips, secrets, shopping times and inside stories and jokes. I always looked, longing and wishing I was somehow cool enough to have friends like that. I never did, which only meant...I wasn't cool enough.

In February, I went to Maui, where I grew close to old and new friends. Really close. Closer then I have ever been before. And since coming back home, I've realized...I need to BE a friend and MAKE THE TIME in order to HAVE A FRIEND.

And so I began...reaching out. Texting. Calling. Emailing. Sending a gift or a card. Meeting up for lunch, fitness, a much needed hug. Letting friends know I'm thinking of them, that I care. And in return, I have found, new friendships blossoming like Spring.

So my question for all of you to think about...who's life can YOU touch for better? Who will you text today, just to say THINKING OF YOU. Will you break out of your hermit life and take a chance? Will you open your circle of friendship to someone you haven't before? Will you compliment someone. Will you give LOVE freely--no matter if it's returned.

I was recently talking to a friend whom I admire. I asked her "What would you do? I have a friend whom I love and adore and I think she feels the same way towards me" (she cut me off before I could continue)  "BE VERY THANKFUL" is what she said.

And so yes... tonight I am overcome with gratitude for my many friends. Friends near and far. Friends old and young.  I'm beyond BLESSED

Super Angie...freeing myself

This winter has been hard. Coaching in 10 degree temps for hours on end. Freezing.

Freezing was something I hadn't expected. "I'm a figure skater! I love the cold" I always say.  But this winter, I froze in a new way. I let stress and worry and doom and gloom get to me. I let it all freeze me to my soul. I was happy- smiling, laughing, kissing, hugging. But I was frozen.

I earned an all expense paid trip to Maui with Origami Owl because I was in the top 1% of designers for sales for this past fall. Out of 60,000 people, I was one of around 350 who got to live at the Sheraton for just shy of a week.  Maui was good for me. I thawed out. I met some incredible woman who helped break me of my frozen fears. The daily reminders of "You are so beautiful Angie" was just what I needed. These new friends (besties) didn't care if I won a medal. They didn't care if I had been in movies. They didn't care how big my house was or what I drove. In fact they didn't know much about me other then that I had worked my butt off to earn this trip- just like they did. But some how in a matter of minutes, we became closer then I ever have to a group of woman.

Breaking the cold out of me took more then the warm sun of Hawaii. It took more then pineapple juice, or long walks on the beach. It took more then swimming with Terry the Turtle (#terry #turtlechicks). It took more then holding a friend's hand and more then good meals. Breaking the frozen out of me was taught to me in their actions. Their words. The love they showed me. The "Let it go".

After returning back to my frozen tundra of Keystone, and returning back to skating and coaching on the frozen magical lake, I paid my money and entered my name to compete at US Adult Figure Skating Nationals in April. And what was I going to skate to? Let it Go from Frozen.

Now that training has set in and Nationals is 4 weeks away, panic sets in. Am I prepared? No. Not really?  Am I working hard? I try. Am I determined? YES!

Yesterday was particularly hard a the rink. I'm learning a new skill, to perform at Nationals. Did I mention how soon Nationals is? Freaking out! As I skate to Let it Go (and I hear the groans of skaters and coaches everywhere of the overused music), I find myself repeating "I suck". "Wow. That was horrible". Demeaning, degrading things, because I can't skate it perfect.

Then I am reminded...you must fall to rise. You must travel through pain to enjoy the bliss. You must stumble to get better. You must slide across the ice (freshly zammed so not only was I on the ice, but in the fresh zam water) face first, in front of everyone in order to learn balance.

I cry on the phone to one of my Maui besties. I talk with my husband. I chat online with a few friends. And then I pull up my big girl panties.

Remember in Frozen how FREEING it was for Elsa to March up that mountain, freezing everything in her path? Letting Go of everything inside her and...just being her? I feel like this Spring, I'm learning this. I'm learning to LET GO of fear. LET GO of insecurities. LET GO of pain and sorrow and let the tears flow. AND THEN to pick up and move on. I'm breaking out of my shy self (stop laughing! I actually am quite shy and non social) and tackling new friendships, new service opportunities, new tricks. I'm finding Angie...the Angie that was frozen.

The cold never bothered me anyway

(I have been very inspired by one of these new friendships formed on the frozen lake. Please enjoy the blog of my new friend Jaci.  http://www.jacitheastronaut.com/words/2015/3/12/the-battle-to-earn-red-lipstick   )