Adapt to Change

It was so good to be back on skis and see the crew at Bear Mountain yesterday. In my mind, I had written off the second half of the season when my treatment started. I held out hope that I might return to patrol in March, between the end of treatment and my pending surgery, but that was optimistic at best. So here I was, standing at the top of the mountain, in the warm sunshine, with skis on my feet....in February during my treatment. Man, did it feel good! 

 We have some of the best snow groomers in the business who can transform snow overnight to make it seem fresh every morning. In the 55 degree sunshine, however, the snow breaks down during the day, turning soft and sticky. So you adapt, and head to the steeper terrain where these conditions aren't as pronounced. The steeps were really fun yesterday, but I was cooked by 2:30!

I was able to spend some time offering instruction to our Patroller Candidates, who are near the end of their toboggan training. They were on the toughest run trying to get their loaded sleds to the bottom. They weren't experiencing change - this was a whole new experience for them. Imagine a difficult run most of them never ski/ride, and then add a 250lb toboggan behind them for good measure! But they adapted by processing the instruction and putting it into practice.

Like the snow conditions or the progress of these candidates, adapting to change is part of everyday life. How we deal with it spells our level of happiness. Days on the mountain are long, usually 10 hours, but I was done after 8. My bike rides have been shortened by 30 min. Work is down to 8 hours from 10 and I'm sleeping a full 8 hours. I remain positive and adapt each day to the "new normal" as I progress through therapy. Change seems so insignificant in the overall scheme of things. 

Oh, I'll be back, but with a changed heart, no doubt!