Life Lessons from a day of Skiing

Last weekend we hit the slopes and were blessed with a day of endless, powdery snow. I drove up with my son, but he took off with his friends leaving me some much needed alone time.

I was able to ski at my own pace. I did not have to think about anything except the feeling of riding these beautiful slopes. I choose the runs I wanted to take. I paused whenever I was called to appreciate the majestic views around me. I let my heart lead me from moment to moment.

The quiet time coupled with the gorgeous conditions gave me precious time for reflection. I saw many parallels between skiing and life and I want to share them with you.

When you go up to ski you never know what kind of conditions you are going to find. Some days you get up there and it is icy and slick. Other days it is a slushy mess. Every now and again, there is a day with fresh powder.

But even when snow conditions are perfect current weather can throw a curve ball. You can be met with fog, or blizzard like conditions which cloud visibility and make it impossible to see what is just in front of you.

There are days when the sun shines bright and you can see every little sparkle of every snowflake. Some days the whole mountain is glittering and crisp with blue skies and views that take your breath away.

But even on sunny days the clouds can roll in and the mood of the day changes in a blink of an eye.

When there is low visibility you have to rely on what you feel and sense rather than what you see. On bright days, you can be blinded by the light.

You just never know what weather or snow conditions you will face and you have to adapt to what comes. And life is like this too!

We try to make plans, but often things out of our control shift and we have to adapt. Sometimes it is clear what we need to do and sometimes we are caught in a fog.

Both on the hill and in life we can be caught in moments of not knowing where to go. We have to stop, take a break and nourish ourselves before we have the energy to figure out what's next.

Not all runs are the same. Some are full of moguls. Some are straight, steep and fast. Others have a gentle incline and seem to go on forever.

Even the runs change depending on how many people have skied them. People become part of the changing landscape. Sometimes the hills are packed and sometimes you find yourself alone, or with just one other lone soul.

Everyone approaches skiing in their own unique way. There are people attracted to taking risks. They do stunts and take jumps. Other people stay within their comfort zone and ski the same few runs all day, going slow and easy. Some people like to rip down the hill as fast as they can.

When you are skiing alone, you get to overhear lots of conversations as you ride the lifts with random strangers. Some people talk about how many runs they are getting in. Others are talking about the quality of the snow or which part of the mountain they have been skiing. Some people are interested in you and others like to talk about themselves. These random conversations reminds one just how varied our perspective and focus can be.

There is no one way to ski the mountain best.

Some people are there for their first time and some people have been skiing for decades.

There are people who ski with style and others who go barrelling down the run like they could fall at every turn. Some people seem to be flying down effortlessly and others are snow plowing the whole way, scared of the speed they might gather.

Some people wear perfectly matched snowsuit, gloves and boots, and some people dress up letting a colourful wig peak out of their helmet.

I think we could learn a lot from lessons on the ski hill.

No matter what the day is like, no matter your level of skiing, or how you like to ride, it is a blessing to be on the mountain and have the experience of being on the slopes.

There is no one right way to do it.

Just get up there and enjoy the day, no matter how you like to do it.

If you take the time to look there is beauty at every turn. You might fall down. You might have a good run, and then a bad run. But you are not in control of it all anyways so you might as well get out there and enjoy the ride.