A Life Unlike The One I Am Living

The truth is that I wish I were a ski bum.  I am not sure that is a job, or if that lifestyle even exists anymore, but I wish it were so.  There are so many occupations which I wish I could do besides my current one...but as I see the snow pile up outside my door as I type this, I get the feeling that skiing should somehow be part of it.

I spent one day this week out on the mountain.  One day, in nature, away from the TV and computer and it was glorious.  It was cold, really cold, but glorious nonetheless.  If only I could ski all winter, and bike around the world all summer.  Maybe I should get an agent.

I have digressed from the topic of this blog.  Perhaps that is because this blog is about dreaming and thinking about better things that an 9 to 3:30 job.  I don't exactly do that 9 to 5 thing that some people call a job.  I don't even where a suit.  I know, I shouldn't complain but that is what everyone does.  Maybe even the guy skiing all winter has something to complain about.  For the life of me, I can't figure out what that would be, but maybe it is true.

I had a great day and I want another one.  Rather than put up with the commute and the rude behaviour of the other commuters, I would like to be on top of the slope, sitting on a crudely made bench or snow bank drinking my coffee.  Instead of hearing about subway delays or grumbling from the commuters, I would like to hear the wind whistling through the trees.

The worst part of this is that I am writing this on a Sunday night, and after a short sleep it will be Monday morning.

A Day on the Mountain

There is something to be said about spending a day skiing.  There is also something to be said about spending a day anywhere but work.  I guess you could think about that in many ways, and probably suggest warmer alternatives, like spending a day at the beach or something like that.

True.

I like both options, but I live in Canada, and January is simply not beach weather.  If I want to go to the beach, one day off is not going to be sufficient.  I would need to take a week (of course, going to the Rockies to ski would also take a week.....hmmm)

Skiing is a pretty good adrenaline rush.  Careening down hill, sometimes in control, sometimes not, is pretty thrilling.  A double black diamond run can really get the heart pumping.  And the windburn you get on your face roughly approximates a tan.

I can't lie to my readers (well I could, but what would be the point) I am not a great skier.  I am an intermediate skier with less of a death wish than most people on the mountain.  Sometimes I am cautious, sometimes I am reckless.  I guess it all depends.

I am a skier, not a snowboarder.  That is just a clarification, not a snobby declaration.  Snowboarding looks pretty cool, and I wish I could do it, but I am worried about being too old to learn it.  A good snowboarder seems very graceful, carving turns with ease, riding the mountain like it's a wave on the ocean.  Of course a bad snowboarder is just one more obstacle in my way, and an unpredictable one at that.

I might whine about having to shovel snow, but without snow there would be no skiing.  And if there were no snow, I couldn't take a midweek break to go skiing.