I haven’t skied on over 20 years. Back then, I had only skied twice. But on Friday, I was making slow, wide turns down a fairly empty hill with ease and the biggest smile on my face. Rho had sped past me moments earlier, and was waiting for me at the bottom. Our instructor was gently coaching Rhaki up the magic carpet, and my husband was making his way down a more challenging run. Once I pushed past the initial discomfort of doing something new (and of ski boots in general), I found such joy in (re)learning something new - fully focused on the instructor’s lesson, trying - and falling - and trying again, and the exhilaration I felt when it all clicked. I felt the same joy as I edited the second episode of Hot & Bothered on Riverside.fm, quickly editing out the filler words and longer silences as I got the hang of the software. I can’t quite describe the shifting feelings from bewilderment to joy over a short time, but it felt great. This past week was one of my favorites in recent memory. We spent it in Pennsylvania for the kids’ mid-winter break. Most days we were on Spring Mountain to ski, driving in and out of the small town I grew up in (and my constant remarking of how it’s barely changed, save for a shiny new Taco Bell and a larger Wawa). We spent an afternoon with our family, celebrating my grandmother-in-law’s 94th birthday. Aside from that, we did very little - but also so much. The jigsaw puzzle we started is half-finished on the coffee table. I lost count at how many rounds of Chutes-n-Ladders and LIFE we played. I tore through 4 books while curled up in my favorite armchair, a cup of tea (or TheraFlu) within reach. May this be your reminder to try the thing you’ve always wanted to do, to log off completely and to pick up something that brings you joy, and to drink some water and take some rest. While I may not be hitting the slopes until next winter, I will be recommitting to keeping my phone in a drawer during family time, drinking 2 giant tumblers of water, and to keep tearing through romance novels in an effort to find joy in these turbulent times. You can catch up on the latest posts here:
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If you enjoyed this weekend’s letter, please consider:
As always, take exquisite care of yourself this week. xo,
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the beauty of being a beginner
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