Get Up Laughing

I have started downhill skiing again. I skied a little thirty years ago, self-taught. Did okay, guess you'd say I was an intermediate skier. A couple of years ago, I skied Telluride in Colorado, where they slapped a helmet on my head, terrifying, and I spent the entire time trying not to stiffen up with fear and fall. Not so much fun.

Fast forward to last Friday and I once again found myself on top of a mountain on skis, but this time in the extremely competent hands of a fine ski instructor. Seems so simple it's stupid but the first thing he taught me was how to stop. Yup. Muy importante. Then demonstrations, explanations, drawing in the snow to show me, practice, praise, drills, "let's just ski". And the views. I was in heaven. 

For 23 years I was a teacher of art and life, learning, questioning, perfecting the art of teaching. I have the deepest respect for good teaching. The proof of my instructor's talent was in the black diamond trail I was able to ski down, with no fear. (Well, maybe a little healthy fear.) 

Then he showed me the glades. Glade skiing is skiing in the woods. I live in the woods, walk in the woods everyday. Twice. The woods speak to me. I loved being in the glades. The thing is, there are all those trees you need to maneuver around. This is not a place for the easily distracted. (Clearing my throat.) I fell, over and over again, got up and did some more. I was getting tired. 

And then it occurred to me that skiing is like how my life has evolved: lovely long runs, able to swoosh down the mountain with strength and balance because I've done the work to get my body there. Then, into the glades where I could have easily been fearful but I chose to be more aware.  It was just like life, going along, then WHOA, here comes a tree straight at me! Sometimes I could turn but other times I would fall. But I would always get right up. Laughing. Then I'd put the fall behind me and turn just a tad sooner the next time a tree was in front of me. Learning. 

How great would it be to live like you're skiing in the glades? Life's hard. Shit (trees) pops up. Turn.  Another one pops up, fall to avoid the tree. Okay, a misstep. Don't stay down, don't cry (okay, okay, sometimes I cry) but get up, keep going and bring more awareness to the next tree that pops up. I'm realistic enough to know some falls take longer to get up from than others. But getting up laughing is where I want to be. Because it all works out one way or the other in the end. I trust that however I land, I will be able to handle it, get up laughing or, if the damn tree has really injured me, there will be a time when I will recover. Trust. 

And one last word: please honor good teachers. My gratitude to this ski instructor for the world he has opened up to me is off the charts. Good teachers are gifts to the world. Now go out and ski the glades.