Skiing and Writing Are Surprisingly Similar
Last Sunday, I went skiing for the first time in at least two years. In fact, I’m not entirely sure when I had skiid last (on a side note, how do you even spell “skiid”?).
And about the third time I fell, sliding upside down, legs and arms splayed, snow collected inside my coat and shirt. It began to melt, and as it dripped down into my underwear, I wondered, “WHY am I doing this again?”
I was getting cold, and Husband was perched about 100 yards farther down the hill, waiting for me. I couldn’t remember how to get up.
He yelled up, “TAKE OFF YOUR SKI!”
Perfect! Now if I could just remain upright for the rest of this adventure.
As I navigated the hill toward Husband, my left foot fell asleep inside my boot and I had already pulled a muscle in my thigh. I came back to the serious question, “WHY was I doing this again?”
I must like it, I decided. In fact, I loved it. And I hated it.
Kind of like writing.
By the time I made it down to the bottom of the hill, I had made a mental list of why I pursue both writing and skiing, since the reasons are basically the same.
- I have to get back up. One of the (many) times I fell on my way down the mountain, I wondered what would happen if I just refused to get up. As twilight fell and it got colder, I decided that I would die, so I had to get back up and keep going. This last week, I took a pretty hard fall in my writing life. If I had stayed there, it would have done me no good. So I got up and kept going, even though it means I’m certain to fall again sometimes.
- I’m not alone, which is comforting since both of my chosen careers – teaching and writing – are fairly solitary. Every time I fell on the mountain, someone stopped and asked if I was all right, or if I needed help. My writing friends do that for me, too – and once I start feeling like this whole thing is stupid and I hate it, they ask if I’m okay, and talk me down from the ledge.
- It makes me a better person. Both activities are challenging, and they keep me honest. Can’t be too cocky about my physical prowess while snow melts in my underwear…and I can’t afford to be overconfident about my writing career, simply because it’s unpredictable.
- It pays to take a break. Halfway through our skiing adventure, Husband and I stopped in at the restaurant and had something called a “Nacho Mountain” along with a beer (ski responsibly). It was good to take a break, relax, laugh and make fun of ourselves, not to mention that skiing after that was more fun. Same with writing – when I’m tired or cranky, I need to take a nap or a walk or eat some chocolate (which, by the way, always makes life better) or call a friend – something that will help me get some perspective.
- Time to think. Talk about perpective – there’s nothing like being on the side of Mt. Hood looking out over miles of creation to help me feel small. It’s breathtaking. And on my way down, it’s just me and the mountain, the swooshing of my skis and the thoughts in my head. As a writer, quietly thinking – being alone with time to think – is one of my favorite things in the entire world.
The next time we head to the mountain and I begin my tally of how much I fall during our skiing adventure, at least I’ll have a list to remind me WHY I do this. Same goes for that next SASE that holds a rejection letter. Got to get back up.
