So I skated at the reopened Roxy again last night (how I love it when the bass feels just short of therapeutic sports massage) and wore my camouflage circle skirt (I was in a couple airports, too, yesterday, making the camo skirt doubly necessary). And then I was thinking, well, if ONE camo skirt is good, TWO would be better. (This is a problem I often have with clothing, which explains why my closet is frankly overstuffed.) Since lately I've been really intrigued by digital camo (must be that BSG influence again), and since in my inbox this morning there was a 20% coupon for Fashion Fabrics Club (enter "20% off" in the comments) it seemed that the stars were aligned for me to buy more fabric. (As if they are ever NOT aligned so as to allow for the purchase of more fabric.)
Anyway, last night was a red-letter night at the Roxy for me, as I managed to skate backwards! Although, it's not really the going backwards that is the problem: it's the change in state from forwards to backwards. Once I reach that locomotion equilibrium, I'm fine, copacetic even, but the change-in-state moment can be, well, problematic. But there were no floor-contact incidents (for which I am thankful, as the bruises from the last time have *just* healed).
But as I was circling the floor, girding myself to make that mohawk turn, I was thinking of that hoary truism: change makes folks nervous. And the lower the stakes, somehow, the more nerve-wracking it can be. The chances of me seriously injuring myself physically were low (although the blow to my ego could have been considerable), but it still took me three circuits to commit to that first turn.
So what does this have to do with dresses, you ask? I think that a lot of folks are afraid of that first day of wearing something different. You know, they imagine the pointing crowds in the street, the laughter of small children, the "friendly" call from human resources … when the worst part is just making the decision to do it. When you put on that bright print dress I guarantee you will be surprised by the reaction you get … in a good way. And not just from others … from yourself. When I made that turn I felt like I'd won a prize. The kind of prize they give in Sweden, with a big fancy pendant. Doing something you're frightened of (okay, doing something fairly reasonable that you're frightened of) is a soul-enlarging activity.
What can you do today that you've been afraid of doing? Just give it a shot. You might be pleasantly surprised.
A Dress A Day 
I met you at the FeB meeting in Boston, started reading your blog, and now own four dresses (and I never liked dresses before). I’m wearing one today (despite the fear of small children laughing) and have plans for change in the new year. Is it the dress? Regardless, thank you!
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Oooh, you are vey brave. Just reading about the mohawk turn made me queasy–I never learned to stop, much less turn, in skating (never having donned skates at all until I was almost thirty). The idea of picking one of my feet up while moving, and then putting it down again at some specified angle before falling exceedingly hard on my tail? Impossible. But maybe if I were skating in a dress with a large bustle . . .
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That’s a wonderful message to read as I wait for the reconstructed dress I bought from Etsy to arrive, wondering if it’s something I oughta wear to work. (It’s made of pieces of 3 or 4 different garments, in thermal weave, and isn’t terribly serious but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it…) So the answer is heck yeah.
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Your timing is always perfect, like you’re some kind of fairygodmother!I always thought I hated dresses and patterned fabric, because of you I now own both!
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Your advice is wonderful, Erin. I hear the same fear in ladies who love hats but won’t wear them. I say just DO it! You’ll be pleasantly surprised.Now, perhaps, I should brave that manicure after all! K Q:-)
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Great post! I just wrote about this very sort of thing in my LJ. Not only about new things being uncomfortable, but about roller skating. Go us with our mad skating skillz! I have mastered the actual Mohawk, but am working on the backwards skating, specially on one leg. Kinda scary but so fun.Tonight I have my first session on my fancy new skates–I can’t wait.Robin
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P.S. I’ve been working with camo today on a hat but couldn’t find the digital here. Did make a digital camo cap last year – just blogged it. K Q:-)
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I had never visited Fashion Fabrics Club before (although I did have a subscription while in college in the early 60’s. I just went there and left with four 2yard pieces of boucle for jackets. Can I use them? Yup. Do I need them? Well, maybe; depends on the definition of NEED.
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Boy, I haven’t skated since I was a teenager! Used to do it all the time but I didn’t fall too often. I usually landed of my knees, not my butt where the padding was, which is why I finally had to give it up. I blew out my right knee and had to quit. It swelled up like a cantaloupe! The bravest thing I ever did was try to balance my checkbook today. I HATE to do it–but today it balanced and no overdrafts!!! YAY!!!!
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Whenever people stare at me when I’m out and about I tell myself it’s because I look fabulous.Not because everyone else is in jeans and t-shirts while I’m wearing vintage 50s dresses or mod 60s outfits.Me? No… I’m not the weird one 😛
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“Doing something you’re frightened of (okay, doing something fairly reasonable that you’re frightened of) is a soul-enlarging activity.”Erin, I’ve been loving your blog and lurking here almost daily for a year. It seems, for me, that running my business is nothing compared to the ‘terror’ of posting a comment. Thanks for this post!
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You sure hit the nail on the head about fear, especially when stakes are low. I want to spike my hair out – just with a little gel, not in green or anything. And yet I fear what people will think, never mind what they might actually say. Good grief.Your post matches this one at GFY, in a way. I loved the movie Xanadu when it came out and I was roller skating (of course) at the time. The music! The romance! The really bad acting – well, not so much. But love it I did.
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Your post coincides with the book I am reading right now, The Yes Man by Danny Wallace, about a guy who decides he is becoming too narrow and negative and decides instead to say yes to every question asked of him. It’s kind of a silly book about a really positive kind of attitude. Go, you!
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Erin, thanks partly to you I own and wear more dresses than I ever have before and I’m loving it. Love your quote about doing something you fear enlarging your soul. My version is face your dragons and they turn to dust, and yes I did this today and it felt good.
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