I deliberately arrived late, not sure what I was getting into. Were my gold leggings enough of a costume? Would I feel out of place because I didn\u2019t have a crazy wig or makeup? It\u2019s crazy how the monkey mind can screw with your expectations. Deep breaths couldn\u2019t fully erase the anxiety.<\/p>\n
In my case, I expected elaborate costumes, tons of groovy yogis, and lots of synchronized skating \u2013 Soul Train on the track, as it were. What actually went down was much less daunting. It turned out to be just a bunch of people who, like me, thought it would be fun to roller skate in an outdoor rink at the top of a mountain. Some were in costume, many not. Some were wobbly on their skates, others not. Some were probably badass yoga practitioners, and I\u2019m guessing that most could touch their toes. But all were clearly there to have fun \u2013 and not compete.<\/p>\n
It took me awhile to get that. To be fair, I decided to listen to my body at first. It told me to skate fast and hard. I had to remind it that this wasn\u2019t roller derby \u2013 we weren\u2019t competing. We were there to have fun and let go. Maybe even boogie. My body gradually got it, and together we let the inner child emerge. Familiar songs from my 70\u2019s era childhood allowed me to relax into the music; my white-girl dance moves became a bit more fluid. And at some point I realized I was smiling.<\/p>\n
Letting go, I\u2019m learning, has its rewards.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Once upon a time I played roller derby. Back then, skating was work. It was all about strength,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":307,"featured_media":4384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[568,567,170],"class_list":["post-4382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","tag-roller-derby","tag-roller-disco","tag-wanderlust-squaw-valley"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"jenn_avatar_2012\"](\"http:\/\/live-wanderlust-fest.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/jenn_avatar_2012.jpg\"){kind=avatar}
Jenn is a marketing consultant to the travel, recreation, & hospitality industries in real life, but her true passions involve playing outside as much as possible. She lives at Lake Tahoe in order to do just that. When she\u2019s not skiing, hiking, mountain biking, or running after her dog while enjoying the majesty of the Sierra, she\u2019s thinking about them and planning her next adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"