I wrote this post in March 2009 when I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to start a blog. I was a ski mom and a writer, but I was not so brave. Now braver by far, I am happy to share it with you.
I started giving this advice to my boys the minute they could ski. Okay, maybe after a year of skiing, when I could tell that they were on their way to becoming hooked. Our boys love skiing. They are obsessed with skiing. They eat, drink and dream about skiing. I know that they will change a lot in the next 10 years, growing from boys into men. I know that love will change their priorities. I just cannot imagine them not skiing.
And, as a non-golfer married to a golfer, I know that it is much easier if husband and wife share the same recreational priorities. I just thank God that my husband and I both love to ski and that neither one of us has to justify the expense or the time to the other (unlike golf, AHEM).
I was at the gym in late March. It was snowing hard in our valley, which meant it was epic in the mountains. Walking to the drinking fountain, I noticed two women engrossed in conversation. I didn’t want to eavesdrop (not too much at least), but what I heard convinced me that I have been giving my boys the right advice. Here’s the snippet of conversation that I heard:
Sad woman: Yeah, he went to Telluride today. I can’t believe it. He says he can’t take time away from work and class for me, but then he goes to Telluride to ski.
Compassionate friend: Wow. That’s terrible. I can’t believe he’d do that.
Well, ladies, I can. I’m not a guy and I’ve done it. When the days are lengthening and the season is winding down, fresh powder days are like gold. You just can’t leave them lying around. You have to seize them. I think it’s part of some unwritten primal code. And, it’s precisely because of this code, that I nag my boys. I’m their mom. It’s my job to nag about something. It might as well be about skiing.
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