Put some skates on, be your own hero.

Happy belated Halloween, friends! 

The story of my roller derby alter ego, Hellary on Wheels, goes to the distant future, the year 2011. March twenty-something, the evening of the picture below.

Weren't we cutest 19, 24, 21, and 19 year olds??? What you don't see in this picture is the few minutes prior when I was attempting to flirt with a guy and my skates flew up and I landed hard on my butt and, what I didn't realize at the time, fractured my arm. The picture was my friends joining me on the bench after my body and ego felt tender after that. (I have great friends, have I mentioned that before? )

Long story short. Weeks of pain killers and sleeping on my arm until it went numb, followed by months of physical therapy and not being able to play violin or run scared me silly of bodily injuries.

So this year was a little bit more than a costume: it was a symbol of overcoming my 

personal fear of getting back up on skates after falling.

Before I went out to do normal Halloween festivities this year, I took my wheels to the streets and began the clumsy process of relearning to skate.

I lost my balance a few times and almost fell again, but the practice taught me something important in the quiet of that October night:

Don't let fear dictate your life. Falling can be incredibly disheartening and painful, and you might get broken in the process. But things heal and you should never be afraid to try again. 

Also, don't try to flirt with boys by showing off your mediocre skating abilities.

I can't promise I'm a roller derby star now, nor possess great roller talent. But I can tell you that I saved myself from my fears. Whip It really spoke to me one Saturday afternoon.

With that in mind, enjoy some costume pictures, courtesy of my coworkers and office:

Also, thanks to my superior mother for finding the skates and some of the gear at Goodwill half off, helping me realize the costume's full potential.

Oh yes, and I really miss those red highlights. It's always been a dream of mine to have some. 

Anyway, ride on, friends!

Love,

Hellery on Wheels