Let It Snow

Photo by Rob Lee

LET IT SNOW…

I’ve been fortunate this winter…SO, I’m grateful…to be back on skis and to have experienced some incredible ski days. About a month ago, I was skiing with a friend in Utah. We sort of chased the storm. The storm was supposed to continue. In the middle of it, we even got the gift of sunshine. Toward the end of the second day I turned to my friend and said, I’ve never done recreational drugs, but I’m “high” right now. I was giddy with the snow, the weather. It was great!

At the end of our day, we headed back to the parking lot. I made a bathroom stop and my friend, who had rented the car for the trip, went to the car. I knew we were at a back corner of the parking lot. I looked for the car and saw my friend waving me over. Now, because it was a rental vehicle, we didn’t have a ski rack. I went to put my skis in the back of the car, popping the hatch. When the hatch opened all I saw was white. I walked around to the passenger side of the car, and opened the rear door. More white. The boots I was planning on changing into were full of snow! I hear this, Why did you leave the window open? I laughed…Back up just a bit…My buddy, when we arrived at the parking lot in the morning, realized he’d forgotten his jacket. So, while he went back to the hotel to retrieve his coat, I benefitted from some amazing runs – fresh powder, first tracks, run after run. Once he got back we met up and had some more great runs. However, he had forgotten not just his ski jacket, but to close the rear passenger window…He parked at a back corner of the parking lot and all day long the wind whipped and blew snow into the car. I have pictures to prove it! 

Fortunately, this Utah snow was very dry and light. I was able to just dump the snow out of my boots and wipe most of the rest up. Driving down the mountain, we laughed our heads off. How could I do that? Whose “fault” was it? Laughing and laughing…Then came THE MIRROR. (Now I’m convinced, God has a sense of humor and was probably laughing with, maybe even at, us.) For all of a sudden, a question came to mind:

What if that had been my wife?

What if Lyn had left the window down and snow had blown in? TRUTH TIME…I wouldn’t have laughed. MY reaction would have been to ask different questions: How could you do that? Who forgets to check the windows at a ski resort?

Now, here’s the real question:

Why don’t I treat those closest to me

(mainly Lyn) like I treat good friends?

Talk about a real-life lesson…So, for months (years?) Lyn has said to me,

Mark, laugh more!

So, I’m a work in progress. And, guess what? We’re (I am) making a bit of headway. Lyn has even noticed it. Yay!

I’m learning to laugh with Lyn…

to even laugh AT myself…

AND, NOT to laugh at Lyn…

Life lessons…

Am I awake to the ones that pass my way?

How about you?

Back to the snow. I am SO grateful to be able to enjoy again what I SO enjoy. Skiing…even more…skiing in powder on a bluebird day…In the midst of this, I listened to a Patrick Lencioni podcast on REST (https://atthetable-patricklencioni.libsyn.com/166-work-harder-at-resting). In it, one of the people speaking shared this:

Gratitude is the key to unlock

the smile on my face.

I love that!