Over Spring Break, I put my life in ski instructor Natasha’s hands, and I threw myself down the side of a mountain. After $79 for a lesson and lift ticket, and donning my borrowed-from-my-boyfriend’s-family snow pants, I learned what it was like to feel somewhat icy snow slide under my feet. Aside from the actual technical skill I tried to comprehend, I picked up a handful of fresh lessons on life.
1. Sometimes you can’t control everything, and that’s okay. I’ve been struggling with this concept for the whole semester so far: from working out, to eating, to schoolwork, and party planning, I’ve been feeling as though every detail is a major detail and that minor crises are the end of the world. Realizing that not knowing what’s coming isn’t necessarily bad (and that sometimes it’s fun) was a big help in my personal and professional life. It takes patience and a lot of falling to accomplish something on the mountain, and also in real life.
2. Everyone has a story worth telling. Natasha, my instructor, told me all about her own life, and it was my favorite part of the experience. She’s lived in a bunch of really cool places and studied Business Communication in college. She started as a snowboarder and after doing that for eight years, she picked up skiing last year and is now proficient enough to teach others. Her stories were so interesting and her recollections of her college years were similar to my own, perhaps universally as well. Hearing the details of an almost-stranger’s experience showed me that I’m not alone, and that everything is relatable on some level.
3. Gratitude is important. I am grateful that my lesson was paid for by someone other than me (my part-time wages aren’t anything special) and I’m grateful that I’m privileged enough to go to a great school, have time off in the spring, and be able to drive to a mountain. There are plenty of others who are unable to take time off, for either financial reasons or physical ones. The use of my body is something I’ve taken for granted, and as I was skiing, I was amazed by the fact that my legs were able to support me, my heart was pumping blood, and my brain was running it all.
4. Limitations are fine, and not liking something is okay, too. In the future, I’m not going to be a ski-mom who takes her kids to the mountain and teaches them personally. I’m going to pay someone else to do it, if I’m financially stable enough to do so. Skiing, while a great experience, wasn’t really my thing. The fear is gone, and I could do it again if I really wanted to, but when the lesson ended I wasn’t ready to get back out there. I was ready to head back to the lodge and sit on the outside deck, with a blueberry beer and a KIND bar and finally relax. And I did just that.
So, big thanks to Natasha from Shawnee Peak in Maine. You helped me learn not only the basics of skiing, but also how to trust myself and how to unwind with a drink, among other things. Maybe I’ll be back someday.
Photo Sources:
Meaghan Leahy