Here’s the worst part about skiing, when you walk in snow boots you feel like you are trapped in one of those dreams where you can’t run, and everything feels like you are walking thru sand, or thick water. It’s enough to necessitate a Xanax.
So this morning it took every ounce of my resolve to rally and go to adult ski school. It was cold, snowing, and I really, REALLY wanted to stay home. However, I didn’t bail, but only because the kids were so excited, and it was Romeo’s first question this morning. Then in the car, he asked me at least 2 or 3 times, “are you scared?”, so it was one of those perfect teaching moments where you genuinely get to acknowledge your own fear, they can relate in a concrete way since they still remember the same feeling, and then you can show them the “good way to handle your fear”. The good way? I presume that doesn’t involve self-medicating, or bailing out at the last minute.
It was my luck that it snowed like crazy for the first half of the day, with sideway winds that were really, seriously, not cool. I made it thru being “schooled” on all the ski basics (including stupid stuff like how the heck to do you even put ON a pair of skis?) Thad, our instructor (me and two other moms who were similarly sticking it out for their kids and ski-bunny loving husbands), had consumed 4 shots of espresso before the lesson and he told us that at least 3 times. Seems like something someone who had 4 shots of espresso would do. He was wired for fun.
I made it down the “green” run---also the easiest run in the entire resort--all of twice. Once during school, and once with Ava and Lucia who couldn’t believe how little I learned in school, and tried to supplement. At one point Ava told me that if I didn’t speed up and get some downhill motion, I would literally have to walk the last part down the hill. She yelled this from the lift, which she was going up for the 3rd time while I was still on my first. She just kept zooming past me, hurling tips about how to hurry it along. I am able to confirm without hesitation that I’m still scared of the easy slope, AND that my kids are really good skiers, with very little patience for me.
Here’s what else I will also say. I need more ski schooling, because I definitely don’t feel ready for the slopes…I’m still scared,. BUT, I had fun conquering something new, and I realized something important; there’s no reason I can’t figure out how to ski well. I watched people, I spent 45 minutes warming up in the lodge and just watching 100’s of people ski down these crazy steep slopes. It wasn’t that they were special athletes, I wasn’t at an Olympic meet, these weren’t rocket scientist or people in some special elite club….these were just average people, who learned the skill. Skiing is 50% in your mind and 50% skills, with some basic athletic ability in there. It’s just a learned skill, like everything else, and it was only intimidating because I hadn't committed to learning it yet.
So this ski trip, ties nicely with our next growing category…travel. Spring break is either here for most of us, or upon us…and summer is a stone’s throw away. Big travel times. My sister the other day made an off-handed comment that white we taught our kids to travel, we sure didn’t teach them fiscal responsibility. She might well have a point. We’ve always thrown all the money we had (or in most cases didn’t have) into travel. Fiscal responsibility was the villain of our travel desires. For me the daily grind, and the repetition of all the things I find myself doing to keep the balls in the air (from the mundane, to the more complicated), needs to be punctuated with something that is out of the box, something that forces me to look at things anew. Every travel experience has endless possibility for finding something life changing, revolutionary even!
Travel doesn’t have to be extravagant, exotic, or even lengthy. It’s just the idea of exploration for exploration’s sake. Forcing yourself to see something you haven’t seen before, maybe eat something you’ve never eaten before…and just get out of the routine and out of your comfort zone.
One of my dearest friends texted me the other day, a friend I’ve known now for 27 years, and reminded me of the time we were in Costa Rica and our families had met up. We were in this darling little town called Nosara and we decided to go to a yoga class. We thought we were going to a relaxing, restorative yoga class, and we showed up to discover it was Zumba. My friend says all she remembers is looking into the mirror and seeing her boobs under her chin as she bounced around without her sports bra, totally unprepared for Costa Rican Zumba.
My point is only this, that this memory, our trip that summer, was so vivid, so different, that it is a wonderful thing to look back upon and it jumps out at us. Probably much more likely to jump into our memories than the 50 times we’ve had coffee since then. Not that those aren’t important, but they are way too normal to remember with the same kind of clarity.
So take a moment to think about what your next adventure might be. Whatever you desire it to b, make it a priority to set something up and get excited about it. The planning, investigation and anticipation is almost as exciting as the adventure itself and it's all about growth and new stimulation.
This is my FAVORITE Anni Kuan dress ever. Summer garden party? August wedding? Dinner at a cool bistro in Paris? Do I really even need an event?? Buy the dress, the event will find it’s way to you.
Signed, ME {lv}
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