It is one of my guilty pleasures that only a few people know about. One of the movies that I’ve watched the most in my life is “The Cutting Edge”. Released in 1992, it is the story of a hockey player who has his career cut short by an eye injury and figure skater known for chasing away partners. In the end, it’s an opposites attract love story that is formulaic in all of the right ways. As the two main characters start skating together, Doug (the hockey player) keeps getting tripped up by a feature of the figure skates that he’s not accustomed to being there, the toe pick. Whenever he trips and falls, his unforgiving new partner points out his failure by saying “toe pick!” As they begin to build a working relationship, Kate (the figure skater) agrees to play a game of hockey against Doug. With the tables turned and her weaknesses exploited, she gets extremely frustrated and hits a slap shot that hits Doug in the face. At the hospital, Kate’s coach points out that she has finally found a partner. When Doug is brought out in a wheelchair with his entire head bandaged, he pulls them off to reveal a black eye and says “toe pick!”
Despite the predictability, I love this movie! It’s simple and hits all of the right buttons. Not least of which is a concept that so many of us need to embrace, getting past the toe pick. We’ve all got them. Those little annoyances that we wish were not there. They trip us up and we lament them because they are just in the way. In truth the toe pick is what allows a figure skater to jump and do other tricks that they could not do otherwise. The obstacle that stops Doug in the beginning eventually allows him to fly through the air.
The impediments in our lives are often more complex than teeth on the end of a skate. They don’t feel like anything that we’re ever going to use. They just persist in annoying us. Most of our results are not based on what happens to us but rather our disposition toward the things that happen. It’s easy to get caught up in your circumstances rather than realizing that you are your circumstances. Most of life is neutral until you get involved. Those teeth on the front of the skate weren’t tripping anyone until you tried to move forward. The world isn’t trying to trip you up. It is just unfolding in front of you. Fly or fall!?!? It’s mostly on you. Be willing to laugh at yourself despite your black eye and try to find the right partners in this world to help you soar!
Pete
Huryk Unlimited 