Busy Busy

I work in a ski town, and February kind of explodes for all of us. February is the month where everyone decides the snow has been around long enough and they can finally go skiing. I work at the mountain from 11:30 until 8pm. This generally speaking, give me the morning to do whatever chores I need to do and then I get to work. Lately however I've been working at a bed and breakfast as a waitress as well.

I worked at this place one summer mostly working wedding parties serving breakfast and doing housekeeping, as well as the occasional busing routine at the wedding. During this time between my junior and senior year of college I made enough in one summer that I didn't have to take out a private loan to pay my rent senior year.

When I'm in the area again I give them a call, it's not like it was when I could work there full time but the owner of the place does keep it in mind for someone to fill work breakfast. It works pretty well for me to serve breakfast and then go to my next job, it makes for a long day but it's a little extra money in my pocket. Usually I can buy groceries for the week with my tip money. This year I'm looking at this money as a trip to San Francisco.

However, during the Presidents vacation week the entire town blows up. Forget being able to get from Point A to Point B, get gas, get a dinner reservation, ski, or get a drink at the bar. I'm not complaining about this at all, I can do all these thing again when everyone leaves to go home, after spending lots of $$ in the area. This also means I work ALL THE TIME. 7am until 8pm. Next week is going to be crazy, but I'm glad for it. I'm looking forward to a nap next Friday.

Skiing is Meditation

Today was my first real day of skiing. I say that it was the first real day because I went on the Friday before New Years and I didn't count it. I had to work, the lines were long and there were so many people I felt I playing dodge-the-tourist, instead of skiing. Last time I went it was a very intense stressful game of frogger, this time it was that nice therapeutic, meditative, speed which I love.

Skiing is comforting to me. My cousin once said that it's the only time he's ever seen me be graceful. Which is probably true. I'm not a graceful person. In fact, my life seems to be a series of mistakes and trip ups rather than some sort of higher calling. Maybe that's why today I felt 100 times better after being out on the hill. I needed to shut my mind off and just go. I think it speaks pretty loudly when I come back from spending time on my skis that I always feel the need to write about it, to share how I feel with the rest of the world.

Some might not understand how attaching two planks to your feet and careening down a frozen mountain is relaxing, but it is. Trust me. Perhaps it's because I began learning when I was 6 years old. If you watch an adult ski lesson versus and small childs ski lesson there are vast differences. 1st the adult doesn't want to mess up and almost tries too hard. A child on the other hand isn't afriad to make mistakes, to go a little out of control, to leave their comfort zone. An adult might say 'oh the kid just doesn't know how dangerous skiing can be, and isn't rightfully afraid.' I taught for three years, never once having an injured child in one of my lessons. In fact, I was the only one who has ever gotten seriously injured as a ski instructor where I work and I wasn't even teaching a lesson, I was skiing from one school to another. The worst thing that happens is a skier starts going down the hill out of control, and then sits. Seriously, the worst thing that happens to beginner skiers is a wet butt.

Once someone learns how to ski or ride it becomes second nature. There is less thought that goes into 'what should I do now' your body just responds to the situation. This is where the relaxing piece comes in. Your brain stops thinking in words and starts thinking in motion and action. Even now as I'm thinking to myself I'm thinking in words instead of feelings or emotions. It's nice to get back in touch with the part of your brain that doesn't think in just words. Skiing does this for me, every time.

Switching Gears

The winter begins... my slow season. The time of the year where I don't actually have to work more than 12 hours a day and live where I work. The best thing: I go to work. I work. Then I leave after 8 hours. It's great. I realize this is what the vast majority of the people who live in the United States do, but it is not what I do most of the year. In the fall I wake up and I'm at breakfast by 8am and then I'm done with my day by 9:30, sometimes 10. I love what I do, teaching children about the woods is one thing that I am passionate about. After working hard all spring, summer (in Alaska) and fall I'm ready for the 9-5 office job. Best perk it comes with a seasons pass.

However, I'm coming to realize that working at the ski mountain is not something that I can continue to do every single winter for the rest of my life. You may laugh but when I was 15 I had a nightmare that I never wanted to be realized. My nightmare takes place when I'm 30, I wake up I'm in a grungy apartment living in Ludlow I work at the mountain and the most expensive thing I own is my ski gear. I'm dangerously close to making that nightmare a reality. I've decided that this has to be my last season working at the mountain. I would even feel better working at another ski mountain, I just can't continue to live and work in the same town I attended high school. So while unfortunately this is my last season, I'm going to make it a good one.