Last week my family and I traveled to Utah to ski. It was my first time ever skiing out west and it was quite spectacular to be in the mountains, the vistas were magical. I’ve gotten very disenchanted with skiing over the years with what I was sure was my declining ability. This trip for me was really more about being together as a family, as one of our boys was home from college on spring break.
Day 1: We made it to the mountain, and not surprisingly for me the first couple of runs were bad, with less control and more fear and tension than I could bear. So when lunchtime finally came I called it quits. While everyone went back out to ski, I brought my 15-year old rusty skis to be sharpened and waxed (I got yelled out by the technician!), and learned that my trusty old ski boots were a full size too big (!). No wonder skiing felt like I was trying to grab molasses. You must know what happened next: I bought a new pair of boots to go with my sharpened skis. I needed to know if the trouble was me or my equipment and it seemed right to figure it out on the first day of the mini ski vacation.
Day 2: Opposite day. It was a dream. After over a decade of being the slowest most cautious person (and scared!) on the trail, I found myself moving with confidence and at a good clip. It was like all the mental lessons that I had been holding onto finally clicked. The kids and my husband were shocked, tossing me nicknames like “ski queen” and “ski mamma.” Mid way down on the first run one of them even said, “Wow. You can really ski!”
For years and years and years I had been in the ski game purely to be with my family, not because I loved the sport. And as the kids grew, it was a prime opportunity to be with them in an unplugged way and connect doing something in the great outdoors. But now things had changed. It wasn’t a terrifying adventure each time I got off the chairlift. It was actually fun. I was at ease, finally enjoying skiing.
At one point along the way, I spotted a sign, “Go With The Flow.” Oh, indeed.
And this image below is not me, just a skier in dancer pose for your enjoyment 😉
