It’s so much fun to revisit things that made you happy when you were a child and realize that they still make you happy.
On Sunday afternoon, thanks to inspiration from the movie Whip It, I did something that I haven’t done in millions of years. I laced up skates, dodged wobbly birthday partying munchkins, and rolled around underneath the disco lights listening to the Village People.
It was AMAZING. Definitely one of those experiences that Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi writes about in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
“Flow” happens when you’re completely present and focused on the task at hand, whether it be writing a poem, working on a collage, putting together a presentation, or rolling around on eight wheels while listening to a gay anthem. When you experience flow, things like time and worries melt away, and you’re completely engaged in the moment. Csikszentimihalyi says that to achieve flow, there must be balance between how challenging the task is and the skill of the performer. If something is too easy or too difficult, flow won’t happen.
It’s nice to have another activity to add to my flow list, and exciting to find out that even though I turn 40 next month, I can still rock a pair of roller skates.