What Dante did not realize (or did he?) when he was describing his journey through Purgatory and Hell to reach Heaven was that he was also describing the journey through a Black Hole to reach a White Hole.
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My Mantra:
Shins on boot tongues
Knees over toes
Edge - to flat - to edge
Chin over the turning ski
Pressure downhill
Turning ski, turning arm
Elbows in front of the body
Shoulders back
The letter “C” is your friend
That’s a lot to remember, but probably the biggest tip of all is to roll from edge to flat to edge. You are only flat momentarily when the skis are perpendicular to the hill. One way to help get on the edge of the turning ski (the new downhill ski) is to remove weight from the free ski at the same time forward pressure is applied to the new turning ski… or just pretend you’re a stork… riding a horse…
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Stress and the circumstances that cause stress are transitory. To recognize that is to give yourself the tools you need to move through the moment. Problems aren’t truly problems, they are just moments that we have difficulty seeing through.
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I admit that writing for me is a compulsion. I hope that it is a good compulsion. It feels good…
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History should never look back and say “We need to return to ‘x’ state of affairs.” History, if it asks any question of the past, should ask what the past moment tells us about where we need to go.
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We are all Americans. Our country is not the total of all individual wants and desires. Our country should be the sum of what is best for everyone.
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“Always start slow and small.”
Pick small goals that are stepping stones to your larger goals. Celebrate each small step. Pace yourself. The adage “It’s not a race, it’s a marathon,” is the key to all success.
“Build a routine.”
Someone recently asked me, “How do you have the discipline to write every day?” You don’t start with discipline, you start by finding enjoyment in what you are doing. Once that enjoyment reaches critical mass, you want that feeling every day. Discipline is just the urge to seek that enjoyment.
“Track your results.”
Using a journal to record progress (and setbacks) is a strong incentive and support. It does not have to be fancy. It provides you the opportunity to look back and correct, as well as look ahead and plan.
“Cut yourself some slack.”
Be gracious to yourself, there are going to be good days and bad days. In the greater scheme of things bad days are nothing more than opportunities to examine what isn’t working and avoid those things going forward. We are not perfect. I know that about myself, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to get better. I’m not worried about reaching perfection.
“Keep going.”
If you don’t feel like pursuing your goal today, that’s okay, but take a step anyway. The result might be shit but that doesn’t matter, what matters is that you took the step. Even if the result is less than satisfactory, you will still feel rewarded by the attempt. There is reward in the doing. The product will take care of itself.
Inspiration for this entry came from an online article I found on the Lochby website.
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Looking back, if I could have pursued any career, I would have chosen to be a historian. I can’t think of any work more rewarding. That’s saying something because the work that I did was very satisfying.
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When you look into the sky and you see your path, don’t ignore it. Your path is written everywhere you look, all you need to do is open your eyes.
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“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again. “
—Og Mandino
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Occasionally we unexpectedly catch sight of something essential about ourselves. We need to be open to allowing that to happen. When it does, we need to be open to incorporating that revelation.
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Most people don’t concern themselves with self-expression beyond their normal daily pursuits. That’s a shame. Society would be better if more people pursued self-expression for the purpose of becoming a better person.
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Rather than ask yourself “What am I seeking,” try envisioning “Who would I be if I weren’t seeking anything…”
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My cat notices immediately when I play Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” He may be more culturally evolved than I am. Even though that is likely the case, he still loves me. When I leave he sits by the door waiting for my return. I don’t know anyone else who does that.
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I got a call from someone in Florida, out of the blue. He fed me dinner four years ago when I was cycling across the country. He wants to meet again next year… I suppose there is no greater compliment than that…
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What exactly is it about skiing that liberates me? It’s about the power of now. Few things both force you and allow you to be in the moment quite like skiing. Focusing deeply on the moment, on each turn, is a way of allowing you to see into the infinite. It extends the moment and allows you to be one with something larger than yourself. Unless it’s icy.
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I love you all. Thank you for being a part of my life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Of course, I should say more than that… It isn’t easy to list the names of all the people I love and those who have been an important part of my life. This will have to suffice.
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I don’t know what tomorrow holds. No matter how hard I try to predict the answer, there is no guarantee. That is the challenge. That is the joy.
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Does anyone truly know us? It is difficult to answer that in the affirmative, largely because we are always evolving, even if we don’t realize it. The challenge is to hold on to those things and people that ground us even as our evolution proceeds.
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We are all just doing the best that we can. Very little separates us from the one percent or the homeless. Who is to say what that difference is? A man got on the bus and began to play his guitar. Is he better than I am, or am I better? The question itself is nonsense.
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Everyone should have a place of their own. A place they can retreat to, a place to call their own, a place that allows them to replenish, refresh, and ultimately grow into the person they need to be. Find that place.
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God does not play dice with the universe, but that does not mean he’s opposed to rearranging things just a bit if he reads a good paper on theoretical physics…
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The beginning is the hardest step. Before taking the first step, it behooves us to consider where we are going, even though the precise destination may be unknown. That said, never let a lack of a precise destination deter us.
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“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger… is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
—Albert Einstein
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The secret to life is to live long and ski. Cycling is not too bad either.
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