SMWI*: Take me back


Breathless,
at the speed
this video took me back.

Saturday mornings in January.
Crisp, cold mountain air.
A sparkling layer of frost on the snow.

Running in Sorel boots to the outdoor rink,
Snow crunching under each foot fall.
Rushing to lace up our skates.
And we go.
And we go.
And we go.

If you close your eyes and listen
You can hear
The steel blades cutting the ice.
The chop, chop, chop of cross-overs to accelerate.
The spray of fine ice crystals from a hard stop.

Take me back.
To our Golden Pond.
This Canadian’s Heaven.

~ DK


  • SMWI* = Saturday Morning Work-out Inspiration
  • Credits: Video – Thank you Rob @ The Hammock Papers

40 thoughts on “SMWI*: Take me back”

  1. Beautiful…Do you ever lace up a pair of skates these days David? Not to compete, but for the freedom that must accompany capably gliding along the ice…that feeing of abandon?

  2. this is wonderful and your words have captured it perfectly. happy to see a wings sweater in the mix ) i agree with mimi, get out there and fly, i’ll bet it will bring out all sorts of feelings within you.

  3. Wow!….living in North NJ, we had a big pond in our back yard and there was nothing better that being out on fresh ice and playing hockey. During the cold, winter months, our yard was the epicenter for activity of the neighborhood. How could I have forgotten that….until this morning? Thanks, David.

  4. I have very similar great memories of skating, and sometimes playing hockey with the guys, on a newly frozen lake. Now staring at the pond here in the nature reserve but it refuses to freeze.

  5. I like the kind of pond that is only a few inches deep (I think they’re called skating rinks), because they don’t break through. I’m sorry I’m such a chicken, but I have a terror of cracks in the ice when there’s water underneath.

      1. It certainly would be, wouldn’t it David? I recall hearing the ice on a pond “creak” as I skated across it. I was reassured that the ice was incredibly thick, so not to worry. I must have taken it to heart, as I recall my 10 year-old self continuing on my icy path for hours!

  6. Fabulous, pal! This brought back a rush of memories for me as well. Never played ice hockey, but for several winters during my childhood, my mother made her 1acre vegetable garden into a nice rink for my brother and me. We spent HOURS out there “carving the ice.” Some of my happiest childhood memories. Strap on those skates, DK! As several others have noted, it’s time! 🙂

  7. Wow, definitely breathless! What clear ice, never seen anything like it! No ponds in our back yard, so Andy’s been building our own rink for the last few years. Kids, and us adults too, love it!!

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