Proof there is a God, and he/she has a killer sense of
humor: family ski vacations.
I’m on one now. And someone has to be getting a kick out of
the chaos.
That someone isn’t my fella, who we’ve nicknamed Ski Butler.
The ski butler gets a particularly grim look on his face each morning as he
becomes a buckling/zipping/tightening/toting dervish, in an attempt to get us
all ski ready.
I might also not be enjoying the chaos as much as I should,
mostly because my body has been awash in fear. Our first day out it was
beautiful, the Dynamic Duo were in ski school, the Ski Butler was on a conference
call for work, and I had a morning on the slopes to myself.
I became so excited that I hurried to the nearest lift and jumped
on. Thirty seconds into the ride, on the bouncing ski lift with no safety bar,
I remembered my fear of heights.
My fear of heights is something of a new development, kind
of like sun damage. So even though I grew up riding this rickety,
old ski lift, fear had never been a factor. Now, however, fear seems to be the only factor. I sat there alone, with
heart racing, ears thrumming and one thought screaming through my mind, “MUST
GET OFF THIS LIFT IMMEDIATELY.”
Not really an option. Because having a full-fledged panic
attack on the lift wasn’t really a good option either, I focused on the tree
line and sang “You Are My Sunshine” the entire way up the mountain. Out loud.
Obviously, since I’m typing this, I made it. And the
vacation continues to get better. I found a nice, low ski lift that works just
fine for me. The ski butler’s skills are growing too. Yesterday the boot
buckles were so tight no one’s boot fell off with the ski still attached, a big
difference from the previous day.
Yesterday something else unthinkable happened: the Dynamic
Duo didn’t want to get off the mountain. That’s how much fun they were having…
with us, their panic-attack-having, grim faced parents!
That’s something else that comes with age: how thrilled you
are when your kids are thrilled. Not by a new video game or outfit. But when
your kids are thrilled by something you’ve done together as a family, you feel
like you’ve won the lottery.
And maybe that’s what God intended when he designed family
ski vacations. Or maybe he was just up for some comic relief… which the guru
girl crew has provided in spades this week.
Happy spring break, guru girls & guys!
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