I could not stop chuckling at this video forwarded by @Marilyn_Res showing a little girl getting ready to go down her first ski jump. Don’t we all remember that first feeling when you do something that you know is going against every gut instinct that you have, but you still just need to do it. It helps when you have a good instructor to calm your fears while still answering EVERY question that you can come up with to delay the inevitable. And when the inevitable is over, well, you are on TOP of the world and strutting like a peacock. That’s the feeling I remember when I’m ready to embark on something but am questioning my sanity.
– thanks Marilyn and Reddit for this adorable memory
Trip down memory lane (my own first):
I used to love skiing though I didn’t get to go that often. Years ago, near the beginning of my ski journey, I went with some friends who were way better than me, and had one of them convince me that I was ready for an advanced run. Yeah, you know the one that I’m talking about…
As the ski lift climbed into the clouds, I just knew that my life would never be the same. Either I was going to come back with a steel gut, or I was going to be curled up in the fetal position. I was feeling confident because I’d been ecstatically taking on bigger hills with each ascent, so I didn’t notice when we got off the chair at the top and my friend talked me down to a section that I hadn’t seen before (intermediate crossed with expert). It was beautiful: trees extended to the pale blue sky as though they were reaching for the soft white flakes that were gently falling on our faces. I was so enthralled with the view that I didn’t even notice the ominous sign which my friend kindly didn’t mention.
I’m pretty sure my friend did that on purpose…
As we started to glide down, the path seemed so easy that I didn’t notice the steepening angle. As it got more vertical, I cast a look of abject horror at my friend and cursed the day that I’d met him. Oh, don’t worry, you’re going to have a blast!!!, he said. This is going to be your new happy place, is what he tempted me with. Come on, you love an adventure, he cajoled. So, I followed.
Down, down, down, until I noticed that somehow we got separated and I was going down this mountainside fast and could not see the end. And then suddenly, there was a drop with people looking over its edge to the sight below. OH MY GODDDDD!!! Get out of the way!!! I can’t stopppppp!!!!! HE didn’t tell me how to stopppppp!!!!?!
People dove to the sides like I was a kamikaze pilot. Curses floated up from buried faces. Others were laughing at the sight of my flailing arms, until…
I took to the air. A beautiful jump that was not planned. Gasps followed me as my skies touched the ground and I rumbled down the hill like a runaway locomotive. Down some more, until there was OH NO, PLEASE GOD NOOOO…another drop with more people. The previous scene repeated but these guys must have been forewarned because they were already at the sides cheering me on. WHY ARE YOU CHEERING FOR ME?!?! FOR GOD’S SAKE, SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!! I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!!!! Those words trailed behind me as I caught air once again, and somehow once again landed safely. I caught more speed and raced down towards another drop and I just wanted it to end. PLEASE MAKE IT STOPPPPP!!! as I caught air one more time. This time the universe must have heard my wails, or maybe it was because my legs looked at the scene below and said, I REFUSE TO DO THIS AGAINNNNN!!!
My final landing was brilliantly, stupendously, magnificently…disastrous. Skies flew off in different directions (one even continued valiantly on its own), a glove flew off into a tree, powdery snow exploded into the air all around, and I became a snowman…ummmm… snow woman. My groans helped people locate me within the mountain of white. One guy brought my migratory lone ski back to me while trying not to laugh at my state. My friend caught up with me with my other ski in his hand, screaming about how great I was (yeah, he followed me from a safe distance). I think a kid threw something into the tree to get my glove down. Eventually this humpty dumpty was put back together again.
My friend looked down the hill. We were only about 2/3 down the run. He looked back to me. I looked down the hill. I turned white. I glared back at my friend and took off my skies, so that I could use them like a sled. He roared with laughter as I sedately sled down the hill, snow plowing for quite a few feet. Eventually we both got to the bottom. I got a huge hug from him. He asked me if I wanted to do it again. I dumped snow on his head. End of discussion and end of story.
And that was my first diamond run that I’ll never forget. I sounded just like that little girl, only I didn’t have the excuse of childhood (only inexperience). Did I do it again, sure, I actually did. Just not with that friend.
