ANDIAMO A SCIARE!!
The mountains had not quite decided to accept winter. There were no leaves on the trees and the landscape was brown with the occasional pine tree to remind us that there was a time when it was lush with greenery. Even the temperature was in denial that it was December. Going to sleep my expectation was for another sunny and dry day but then…..The world became quiet, noises were muted and a peaceful blanket had been gently placed over my world. There is something comforting about snowfall. It literally turns the volume down on the world allowing the noise of distress and concern to be replaced by thoughtful consideration rather than the gut reaction of immediacy. Winter had arrived in the mountains of Colorado where I had come to sort out my next move.
I became a serious skier while sitting next to my sales colleague and friend at a famous investment bank where we worked. He was the the best unlikely skier I have ever known. Stout and round he was, but there was not a ski run he could not master. He encouraged me to teach my children how to ski. Skiing became the family sport. All five of my children are excellent skiers. Graciously they now wait for me at the bottom of the run, a position I occupied while they were learning. As a family we are blessed with the ability to ski as it is not exactly an inexpensive past time. By its very nature it is a sport that you have to do together. Whether teaching or just making sure you have someone to watch your back, skiing is best as a group activity. Although hi-speed lifts have shortened the time it takes to get to the top of the run, it still allows a focused time to be together and to talk. You can’t run away while sitting on the chair lift. You can learn a lot from your children if they don’t have an exit. The communal nature of skiing creates multiple opportunities to talk to each other and to learn about life from another perspective. Ski trips provide the opportunity to be together in a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by the extreme beauty of winter white. My family has been blessed to have many such opportunities. There has never been a bad trip, only treasured remembrances of being together. I am on another ski trip with my youngest son and his fiancé. We are having a wonderful experience. We are learning more about each other, exchanging ideas and appreciating the stunning beauty of our surroundings.
Simply put, skiing is important to me and a critical thread in the fabric of my family. I remember skiing a difficult run at Alta, Utah with my eldest daughter many years ago. We had stopped in a cathedral of snow covered trees while I complained that my turns were not perfect. “Dad!, look where we are!!” She said with the wise emphasis of a 14 year old. The unneeded noise of my complaint was quieted by the silence of the snow and the understanding that we had been given the opportunity to be held by the beauty of nature’s arms for that moment. I have been truly blessed by the wisdom of my children. As a family we are forever grateful that the snow has embraced us.
“Since we’ve no place to go, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…”