Choices define the life we live today or tomorrow.
These past few days, I’ve been in an area known as Sun Valley, Idaho. Going there was a departure from the usual places I’d choose to spend my birthday. This was stepping out of my comfort zone.
We stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge, which is a luxury boutique hotel. Apparently, many celebrity guests stay here on their ski trips and it also hosts the Sun Valley Allen & Co CEO conference aka “summer camp for billionaires”.
Anyway, I could easily have opted out of all the snow-bound activities and stuck to what I’m familiar with. But I didn’t. This meant being vulnerable and admitting I didn’t know how to do something. And it also meant asking for help.
I fell down often learning to ski. But I got back up, each time. And guess what? I got better at falling and picking myself up. When learning anything in life, falling down is part of life’s lessons.
I also went snowshoeing. It’s like hiking with funky clunky shoes on snow. What beautiful day it was to be out snowshoeing!!! The views are completely breathtaking. Even though I felt like death warmed over, it’s a blessing to be out and able to do this. 3.5 miles on a snowshoe trail feels like 7. This is really tough, especially if it’s your first time to ever do something like this.
My lungs felt like they were on fire. And even a few days later, I was still discovering muscles awakened by that trek!! I stopped frequently and flirted with the idea of turning back and giving up. But each time the fear of not completing the loop was more unbearable than the physical fatigue of the moment. When I was done, it felt great, almost euphoric.
And now as another birthday passes, I’m that age group where I often hear “too old” to do this and that, but I reject that. That is fear “of trying new things” that’s talking. Dear friends, “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”
Some people have asked me if I’d do it again and I say absolutely. Until then I’ll be taking more classes to build my confidence. See you on the slopes!
RESOURCES
- Lodging: Sun Valley Lodge (Search lodging options in Ketchum)
- Ski Lessons: Dollar Mountain Ski School
- Snowshoeing: Galena Lodge
- More photos of this trip
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