Old friend returns… and we have some fun

My old buddy Snow came back for another of what I am sure will be many visits during the winter ahead. Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend we got a little over an inch. Then it snowed some more today adding just enough to make me think of another old friend. I have played around with cross country skis since I was a teen. After moving to Michigan… that became a pretty staple activity for me for many years. I have never been a master of that sport by any means. But I used to be able to navigate some pretty tough trails… and loved the challenge they presented.

But like many hobbies… the skis did not get pulled out as often during my years of peak involvement helping with the kids activities. Then there came a time where they had not touched the snow for several years. I got so out of practice… and so out of shape… I was honestly very hesitant to try them out again. But last year as I started my journey to lose some weight… and get back into better shape. I finally dared to pull them out… and expose them to the snow once again. I had good reason for being nervous about trying to get back on them again.

Like so many other activities… the muscle memory was not there. A big part of that was because a lot of those muscles were no longer there. I really struggled last year to try to get back into the sport. I was rather wobbly on them… and really struggled to find any kind of rhythm. A big part of that was the fact that I would get totally winded before I had a chance to get into a rhythm. I was unsure… unsteady… and unable to keep going long enough to find a groove. One of the last outings last year… I was finally getting to the point where I could get a pattern going… and sustain it just long enough to start to skate a bit. But I was just too out of shape to maintain it for long at all… and would soon have to stop and gasp for air.   

So with a couple of inches on the ground tonight… I decided to pull them out again and see just how tough it is going to be this winter. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I am still a little wobbly and unsure. But I was at least able to keep going long enough to begin to find a groove. The school yard behind the house is not an ideal location to ski. But it is big enough for me to play around a bit and actually served pretty well for an initial outing. I was pleased that I was able to remain just steady enough… and keep going long enough… I was able to get into a glide that did not feel half bad. I am still really shaky on the turns… but was able to navigate them at more than just a slow step. I kept up enough speed to still have some glide as I stepped through some wide corners.

I am hopeful that after several outings this year… I may begin to get more steady, stable, consistent and maybe even efficient enough to get into a sustained glide… maybe even a real skate… and maintain it for more than just a few minutes. Part of the challenge is that I had just worn out the set of boots that mated with the bindings on the skis I had used for years. I could no longer buy boots for the bindings on those skis… so I had just bought new boots, bindings and skis… that I hardly broke in before putting them in extended storage. I am still struggling to get the boots to clip into the bindings easily… but once I did they felt a lot better this year than they did last.

So maybe this year I can build some new muscle… muscle memory… and get much more comfortable on this new equipment. So while Orion still got a bit of a chuckle watching me and my other old friends playing under a nearly full moon tonight. I felt he nodded his head as if to say… You’re getting there!    

I hope whatever you are up to… this finds you comfortable with it… and able to enjoy. It is so nice to be able to find fun and a smile… in whatever we do!