Bright and early, with a friend along for the ride, we drove up to Mountain High Ski Resort for a full day of winter sporting.  What a great time!  I’m not gonna lie, it was cold on the lift, and the clouds were low so it was sometimes hard to see.  But we were greeted by sun and higher temperatures each time we reached the bottom and warmed up enough to jump right back on the lift and do it again.  I’d say we got in a good 20+ runs!

This is probably my sixth season on the slopes.  That does not, however, mean that I am an expert snowboarding.  Quite the contrary.  Three trips each winter meant it was a good year.  Many were not good years.  But since living in So. Cal, with a longer season and less lines at the lifts, I’ve been able to fine tune my boarding skills and each time I get a little better.  Last season I had a few discouraging moments, mostly driven by fear.  Some nasty falls made me wonder why I ever took up the sport.  But I tarried on and I was now ready to advance.  I put my fears in my back pocket with my SPF lip balm and took on the jumps! (the beginner ones of course).  It was so much fun.  I landed maybe half of them, but got some good air and found a new side of snowboarding that I can’t wait to exercise this winter season!

Yesterday, I overcame a hurdle that was daunting me.  I often felt frustrated on the mountain, watching The All-Star take courageous leaps off snow banks while I sat in the snow nearby taking pictures.  This time I was the one with the guts and he stood by with the camera.  It felt good.  Real good.  I challenged myself and overcame the doubt that I could actually do it.  Sure I fell a few times, but it didn’t hurt too much, and I got right back up and tried the next jump.  I’m proud of myself and I’m ready to take on more challenges next time.

Today I’m sore, so is the All-Star.  The first time out is always the hardest to recover from.  Some of those muscles are just not used to getting worked in that way.  But I can’t complain.  I got a great workout, learned a new skill, and gained confidence in myself that I can succeed if I just give it a try.  Not something we’ve never heard before, right?  But it’s always nice to experience it firsthand.  Being in the business of helping others, I’ve always got a good cliche up my sleeve.  Having a story behind the lesson is helpful, especially for the one telling it.

What life lessons are you living out today??

One of my most favorite things about living in California is the weather.  It’s not blue skies and sunshine every day.  But it is most days.  Whenever it does rain, which isn’t that often, I see it as a great treat.   We were given this treat on Monday when we had a whole half day of heavy rain.  And not the drizzle that we’re used to, but real “buckets of rain.”  So refreshing and cleansing…it didn’t last long.  In the winter, when a storm brings rain down by the ocean, you know that it snowed up in the mountains.  And one of the coolest things about living in Southern California, and especially in my new town of Long Beach, is that you can sit on the beach with the waves and palm trees and see the snow caps of the Los Angeles mountain range.  I can’t help but smile every time I look at them.  And after a good rain, when the air is crisp and fresh, the view is as clear as the blue skies that canvas them.  I wish I could post a picture but no camera I own would give the scene any justice.  Besides, some things are kept safer in my mind.

Seeing these mountains reminds me fortunate I am to have the opportunity to live where I do.  Being so close to the two things I love most about nature, the mountains and the ocean, feels my heart with joy.

What do you love most about where you live??