Sunday, December 30, 2007

I've experienced another full circle moment... Close to four decades ago, my parents had the forethought to purchase a wonderful, family friendly, house in the mountains of a tiny ski community. We've been sheltered by that house for every school vacation I had as a student. We often traveled here with lots of cousins and friends. Many of my fond memories of childhood and family are en grained in this building.

Things change and stay the same. How that happens at the same time I will never know....but this is one of those times. I can clearly remember learning to ski here at the age of three. Terrified for my parents to leave me at ski school, terrified of going too fast, etc. I suppose I should confess that I was usually terrified of everything. Fast forward 34 years, in 2005, my son took his inaugural ski lesson at the age of 3. As an aside, I think it's important to know that, at least in this ski town, when you learn to ski, especially a child, you don't use the chairlift, instead, a moving "magic" carpet. Fast forward a few more years and now my oldest is 5 years old. Yesterday was a pivotal day in his existence. It might not seem like a big deal for you, perhaps, it doesn't even seem like a bid deal to my son, but yesterday he went on the chairlift. All the way to the top of the mountain. He became part of that cute troop of little shushers in a row all skiing down in a snowplow behind their teacher. It seemed so matter of fact to him. He was so brave and his instructor said he was so "good at getting on and off the lift as well as making his piece of pie to stop" I don't know why this felt like such a big deal to me. Maybe because it proves that I'm no longer the child but the cheerleader parent. I'm so happy that this is not a struggle that my child had to endeur. I'm so glad he loves the sport and hope that I get to shuss down the hill next to him today.... I hope I can keep up.