Embarrassed to be learning in public - please help
I’m a middle-aged woman who randomly decided to do something crazy and learn to unicycle. It’s a physical challenge and also feels like something childlike and fun.
Problem is: I’m not a child but a self-conscious adult. I live in NYC, so I don’t have a private yard or driveway or garage to practice in. Anywhere I go is super-public. The best place I’ve figured out for a beginner in my neighborhood is a soccer/baseball field that has a tall fence I can hold on to as I try to move along the perimeter. It’s about a 10-minute walk from my apartment, and on the way there I see hundreds of people (most of whom don’t give a shit, of course). Every time I come and go with the unicycle, the neighbors sitting on the stoop ask about it. They’re all very nice, but I’m embarrassed because I’m just starting and what if I never master it. I wish I could try it for a bit on the DL before I had to broadcast it to everyone.
Just now I overcame the self-consciousness and came to the soccer field. Saw the neighbors, of course. But I get here and there’s a group of middle school kids having lunch in the field, and one of them is my son’s classmate. F$&@, I can’t do this.
TLDR: Middle-aged woman trying to learn to unicycle in super-public locations in NYC (‘cuz there are no other kinds). Self-conscious and hate constantly running into people I know. Need advice & encouragement please.