The ice rink in the city center on a winter weekend was much more vibrant than usual.

The clumsy steps of beginner skaters, the laughter of children, and the scratching sound of skate blades cutting through the ice mixed together to create a lively energy.

People took to the ice for their own various reasons.

Some were enjoying a simple weekend hobby, while others were trying to regain a sense of movement familiar to their bodies.

In that complex crowd, hockey players enjoying a skate on ordinary ice rather than a stadium and figure skaters leisurely navigating the rink were naturally mixed in.

Without knowing each other's identities, they were each filling their time at their own pace on the same ice.