As we get older, we start to think
about the things in life we have accomplished, and all the thing we
haven't gotten to yet. For years, I was wanting to learn to
snowboard. Many friends, ex-boyfriends, all said they would teach
me. Only for me to be a pest constantly asking, and never learning
anything new. Well, at 37, I finally took a lesson. My friend and I
were in Alberta for other reasons, and we decided to go to Lake
Louise to snowboard. We found a cheap snowboard in Edmonton for me
to buy, and I registered for a class. He did his own thing, I took
the class, which was only me. It was awesome! I had a few hours of
private instruction for the price of a class.
Not only was the price right, but the
experience was amazing! I couldn't believe that it took me so many
years to experience something so much fun. I mean, I wiped out alot,
some worse than others, but I kept going. I don't excited about many
things, but I get excited about going to “play” in the snow. I
mean, where I live, snow is a part of life for 6 months of the year,
so it makes sense to find something to make it fun.
I don't bounce back as fast as I
would've if I started in my teens or twenties, but I wouldn't take it
back for anything. I look forward to snow now, whereas before, I
dreaded every snowfall thinking about how crappy my drive to work was
going to be the next day. Now, I see that snow is coming & start
to plan my day around when I can get out riding. I'm still not good
by any means, but I get out as often as I can. I find places in
parks, river banks, anything with a slope, and only a few trees. And
it turns out that I get out more often than my friend who introduced
me to it. I ask him if he wants to go, but usually he declines.
Learning to snowboard has been probably
one of best experiences of my life. It's not just about
snowboarding, it's about the things I've learned about myself since I
started snowboarding, only a month ago. I've learned that it feels
great to get out of my comfort zone, and it's actually very healthy
to do so. I've learned that with lack of focus, pain is gauranteed.
I'm still learning to re-train my body from instinct, because
instinct can be very painful. But most importantly, I've learned
that you're never too old to experience something new, and that every
new experience teaches you how to grow and be a better person.
