I approach the ice rink.

A young man is skating very fast then deftly turns his blades sideways and stops, creating with ease a satisfactory spray of ice. Many skaters are as graceful as he, skating forward, backwards, making turns, or spinning on one leg. Others are not.

Couples abound, hand in hand, mostly teetering, but wearing smiles. Friends chat lending a hand, if need be, before a fall.

There are children, many of them with an adult guiding them along. And there are slips and falls. After a spill some shed tears and leave the rink with a defeated air, some go over to the railing and grip tight, too afraid to move any further, and some laugh, get up and continue on.

It is a microcosm before my eyes.