No One Has a Bad Time Sledding
One of the things that comes along with becoming a parent is that you get to re-live all the joys and traditions of growing up as you watch your children go through them. As a parent of a five-year old in the Upper Midwest in late December, one of those traditions is going sledding.
This morning, my wife, daughter, and I piled the sleds and ourselves into the car and drove to the local sledding hill. (See picture at left.) We decided that my wife would ride down the hill with our daughter (each on their own sled), and I would play goalie at the bottom of the hill to keep our daughter from flying into the woods that formed a natural barrier at the end of the run. That was fine with me; I've been nursing a sore hamstring suffered while horsing around with our daughter anyway, and trudging up the hill over and over wouldn't have helped it much.
While they were climbing up to the starting point, I looked around the dozen or so groups of people on the hill and realized a couple of interesting things. First, there was no reason whatsoever for any of them or us to be there except for one thing – to have fun. This was not part of a workout regimen, it wasn't a school assignment, it wasn't part of the 'other duties as assigned' in some job description. Everyone there had gotten dressed in their outdoor winter clothes, found a sled, and made the journey to the hill for the sole purpose of screaming their lungs out in joy as they hurtled down a steep, snow and ice covered slope at terrifying speeds. Over and over and over and over.
Second, there were groups of all ages there. Parents with small kids, groups of teenagers, groups of college kids, and families with dogs present were all represented, and the dogs were included in several of the runs, having as much fun as the people. The joy of sledding is not limited to young kids.
Third, everyone there without exception was having a ball. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone showed up at the sledding hill today in pursuit of a meaningful emotional experience. Why else go sledding other than for how it makes you feel? It wasn't possible for my own spirits to do anything but be buoyed by the joy and laughter of the people who were there for no other reason than to feel good on a winter day.
It's almost a cliche to get stressed out during the holidays. With all the decorating, shopping, logistical challenges of seeing nearly everyone you know, card writing and sending, and pressure to make this the best Christmas ever, sometimes the most genuine moments come when you are doing something for no reason other than to feel the wind on your face, scream your lungs out, and feel good. I hope that this holiday season held some of those moments for you, and there are more to come.
In my next blog entry on Wednesday, I'm going to talk about the number of hits my website received during Christmas week. Do you think it would be fewer or more than an average week? The only hint I'll give you is that the number surprised the socks off of me. Also, I'm changing the backstory of the character you can name in my next novel. I'll give details of those changes and how to submit your entry on Wednesday as well.
I hope your holiday season is going well! Do something or read something today for no reason other than it makes you feel good! Thanks for reading. -Jon
