Denied....but SUPPLIED

After doing a few skis off the beaten path(i.e., well groomed trails) and gaining a newfound confidence in my technique this winter, I thought I would head out on the local trail up our valley to see if anyone had been skiing it. My improbable dream was that perhaps some hardcore cross country folk had established a nice trail back out to the lakes. What a glorious 5 miles trek that would be! Planting me out there at the base of those white mountains in the magnificent sun! But in the real world? It was an awkward semi-trail set higgledy-piggledy for about a mile at the most. Then the tracks just mysteriously ended. NOT conducive to my level of backcountry skiing(I've never done any) or my lack of appropriate gear(simple x-country ski package). It was a bumpy, deep, crusty,  hazardous on the downhill, SHORT attempt.  But what a fabulous place to be! Full glorious sun, blasting me in the face...inundating my retinas with much needed circadian rhythm altering light....

SOUL filling.......

Time to bring out the deck chairs for some sun sitting!

The following is based on a meditation that Willa and I have enjoyed doing for the last 3 years when we are outside.  At some point, we’ll take a break, sit together quietly…breathing…and then take turns stating the five senses and what we are observing for each.  i.e., “SMELL:  The pine trees warming in the spring sun”.  I believe I found this meditation from LittleAcorn Learning.  Today, I discovered a new blog-Bohemian Twilight- whos writer ends each post with something similar.  I think it’s a great idea to succinctly sum up a day, so I think I will incorporate this little meditation into my own posts.  Here’s today’s:


HEAR:  QUIET but for the sweet chirps of some hidden birds in the pines I skied through…

SEE:  A sea of windblown snow….waves stretching out before me into the sun...

SMELL:  The aroma of my favorite soap, “Tango” from Ogleby Sisters, wafting up as I sweat…

TASTE:  A lunch of soft tilapia taco with lettuce, tomato, and a Greek yogurt-salsa-lime juice-garlic dressing.  Wish I was tasting a beer as well!

FEEL:  An owie of a bruise forming on my bum cheek from falling today!