So states were Monday and Tuesday at Sunday River. They were pretty cool. We kicked ass considering we've never done states before. But man, Sumday Bigger = The biggest waste of money combined with the dumbest trail configuration I have ever seen. Basically, if you want to spend a while waiting in line with a bunch of rude people to get on a chairlift, Sunday River is the place to be. If you enjoy "chondola" type lifts that are completely unnecessary based on the fact that the trail is sunny and completely sheltered from the wind and that clearly cost millions of dollars to purchase and install, pack up your car and head to Sunday River. Then, if you really enjoy horseshoe shaped flat trails that you have to skate across but in the end you have basically gone nowhere, Sunday River is your kind of mountain. I don't know about other people, but in the sport of skiing, gravity is your friend. You follow gravity when you ski. It makes it much more fun. Sugarloaf follows gravity, hell, even Scrawny Peak follows gravity. But now Sunday River. Sunday River is too cool to follow gravity ... more like Sunday River is too lame to follow gravity. Whatever, that's their problem.
So I've noticed lately that I love watching sad movies. I think I prefer to watch a movie that makes me cry, that makes me think, that makes me take a look at what I have and what I want. There's something about that scene in the movie, the one that gets you thinking to yourself how familiar that is, and realizing that you are never far enough away from the bottom to trip and fall back down. I feel like, in general as people, we seem to think that because we worked hard for something or because we sacrificed alot for what we have that we are invincible. This is never the case.
I really feel like the thing that we all need to learn is that unless we are willing to admit each and every one of our flaws, every single mistake that we've made, every wrong thing that we have let slip out, and each instance that we wish we could take back, we will never be too far to hit the bottom again. I've never met someone like that, but I really hope to meet someone like that someday. Those qualities, those traits, that's real courage. That's an angel in the flesh. That is someone that was at the bottom, that is someone who realized that there is so much more to life than what other people say and what other people think, and that is someone who will never again throw away anything that they have worked for. Someone like that, they know the true value of life and hard work. That's something to admire, something to strive for.
"Maybe redemption has stories to tell, Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell."
~Switchfoot
How do you get away from what you have made yourself? Once you hit the floor, how do you step away and get yourself back up?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I Miss the Years That Were Erased
Shawnee Peak is an idiot magnet. And I really like Rob Thomas.
"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something."
~Henry David Thoreau
Is it better to spend your eternity in heaven or hell? Then again, regardless of where you want to spend it, you have to earn it. Which placement would you rather your life be rewarded with?
"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something."
~Henry David Thoreau
Is it better to spend your eternity in heaven or hell? Then again, regardless of where you want to spend it, you have to earn it. Which placement would you rather your life be rewarded with?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Defense is Paper Thin
So I saw this courtesy of one of my friends the other day, and I really liked it. It truly meant something to me. Because of this, it doesn't really matter to me if it means something to you; the fact that I can read it and actually take a real message from it is enough. I really hope that other people can find something meaningful in it too. If you don't, try reading it again. Maybe you'll learn something, then again maybe you won't. Who knows. All I know is that it's worth a shot.
If I Had My Life to Live Over
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
I'd relax, I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who lives
ensibly and sanely hour after hour,
day after day.
Oh, I've had my moments,
And if I had it to do over again,
I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat
and a parachute.
If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the springand stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.
Nadine Stair,
85 years old.
So this is completely unrelated, but I've recently decided that it takes a real man to show his emotions. Courage is not holding it inside, courage is being brave enough to not care what other people think. Courage is letting it all out. Courage is admitting your flaws and then cleaning them up. Courage is what real people have. Being a coward is what fake people have; and it's worthless.
Why have feelings if not to share them with others?
"A man who is a master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, to dominate them."
~Oscar Wilde
If I Had My Life to Live Over
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
I'd relax, I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who lives
ensibly and sanely hour after hour,
day after day.
Oh, I've had my moments,
And if I had it to do over again,
I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat
and a parachute.
If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the springand stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.
Nadine Stair,
85 years old.
So this is completely unrelated, but I've recently decided that it takes a real man to show his emotions. Courage is not holding it inside, courage is being brave enough to not care what other people think. Courage is letting it all out. Courage is admitting your flaws and then cleaning them up. Courage is what real people have. Being a coward is what fake people have; and it's worthless.
Why have feelings if not to share them with others?
"A man who is a master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, to dominate them."
~Oscar Wilde
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Cut to mirror your intentions.
Who, if anyone, has the right to judge someone else? And then, on top of that, why do they have this divine power? Who put them above everyone else?
No one has the right, nor the ability, to go through their day judging other people. There is no way that you can adequately sum up another human being unless you have physical and emotionally lived their life. You don't feel the emotions that they feel. You don't cry their tears, you don't share their laughter, you don't experience their joy, and you certainly don't feel their pain. So then, why would you ever consider yourself in a place to judge them?
Yet, we still do this. We still walk through life constantly judging other people. Sometimes these judgements come from a single action, sometimes from a long list of things, and sometimes from nothing at all.
Although it may seem like a harmless act, it is not. Everyday people go through their lives feeling things that they never wanted to feel, hurting like they never dreamed they would. And as they struggle through this, someone else steps in and pretends like they know what's happening. It may seem harmless, even sometimes helpful, to see someone and assume that they are in need to a friend or that they need to be left alone and given space ... but it isn't. People hurt the most when they need something, and as soon as you judge them you shut down the possibility to give it to them.
When you judge someone, you take on a certain attitude about them, and this is something that becomes permanent. In doing this, you lock them out of your life and your heart, thus pushing them away from yet another source of comfort, or maybe even a source of healing. In doing this to someone, you hurt them temporarily, but you hurt yourself forever. This lifestyle is not one to blend in and conform to, it's one to avoid at all costs. Judgements are based on actions, but never do they come from intentions. The goldest heart has the potential to be masked by the darkest of actions. If you allow your vision to be blocked by these actions, you will never be able to see the good in anyone else, let alone in yourself.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
~Mother Teresa
Can you judge the lifestyle of others simply because yours is commonly brought into the grasps of moral judgement?
No one has the right, nor the ability, to go through their day judging other people. There is no way that you can adequately sum up another human being unless you have physical and emotionally lived their life. You don't feel the emotions that they feel. You don't cry their tears, you don't share their laughter, you don't experience their joy, and you certainly don't feel their pain. So then, why would you ever consider yourself in a place to judge them?
Yet, we still do this. We still walk through life constantly judging other people. Sometimes these judgements come from a single action, sometimes from a long list of things, and sometimes from nothing at all.
Although it may seem like a harmless act, it is not. Everyday people go through their lives feeling things that they never wanted to feel, hurting like they never dreamed they would. And as they struggle through this, someone else steps in and pretends like they know what's happening. It may seem harmless, even sometimes helpful, to see someone and assume that they are in need to a friend or that they need to be left alone and given space ... but it isn't. People hurt the most when they need something, and as soon as you judge them you shut down the possibility to give it to them.
When you judge someone, you take on a certain attitude about them, and this is something that becomes permanent. In doing this, you lock them out of your life and your heart, thus pushing them away from yet another source of comfort, or maybe even a source of healing. In doing this to someone, you hurt them temporarily, but you hurt yourself forever. This lifestyle is not one to blend in and conform to, it's one to avoid at all costs. Judgements are based on actions, but never do they come from intentions. The goldest heart has the potential to be masked by the darkest of actions. If you allow your vision to be blocked by these actions, you will never be able to see the good in anyone else, let alone in yourself.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
~Mother Teresa
Can you judge the lifestyle of others simply because yours is commonly brought into the grasps of moral judgement?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Hope dangles on a string, Like slow spinning redemption.
I spent the weekend at Sugarloaf, which is hands down my favorite place to be. It's so incredible up there. It's basically a separate world, one without the day to day problems, and the built up emotions. One where you can just let go and be who you are, be who you want to be. You get in the car, drive for three hours, and arrive in this place where everyone is trying to be the best person that they can be, and no one remembers what dumb fight they were having at home.
There are some days, when it's snowing, that it feels like you're in the most beautiful snow globe on the planet. As you stand on the mountain and look down into Carrabassett Valley, you see nothing beyond this incredible wall of snow on all sides of you. You see the mountain, the trails, the people, and that's it. The coolest feeling is knowing that everything you're seeing is pure. The snow is beautiful as endless amounts of it fall from the sky. The people are incredible as they leave their troubles behind and strive to be a better person, if only for a while.
That's what I love about these places. Everyone has a place that means so much more than any other place to them. It's that feeling of relief that you get when you arrive. It's the peace that comes over you. There's nothing to it. No strings attached no commitment. There's just that feeling of knowing that whatever time, whatever day, whatever weather, whatever people are around, that place is always there for you. And each and every visit is as special as the last.
As you do whatever it is that you do at your special place, you can feel whatever emotions it is that you need to feel, and there is no one there to judge you. As I fly down the mountain on my skis, I can laugh about something that happened, I can talk to myself about how to fix a problem, I can figure out why something never happened, I can cry about the loss of a loved one. It's these things that really matter. It's this ability to be who you are and say what you feel that makes something like this so special. Without this unjudged, unbiased environment, no place would hold such a sacred place in anyone's heart. It is because of the unbiased lens of nature and all of her creations that we are able to feel so good about whatever we happen to be going through. The neverending judgement of our day to day lives orients us to feeling like we are no at good as we could be, as we should be. This place, this heaven, does not include any of that.
I am so grateful to have found such a place. Some people never find a place like this, a place that they can call home. Home doesn't have to be where you live, it doesn't have to be where your family is, nor does it need to be where you were raised. Home is deeper than that. Home is where you feel safe, where you are comfortable being you, where you never feel a need to be anything other than what you truly are.
It's an incredible feeling, to have some place to actually call home and to mean it. You're there, and you feel and see things you haven't felt in a while. You feel the emotions run out, the laughs resurface, the tears come and then go. You see the stars, as pure and as gorgeous as they get, and you know that those shining spots in the midnight blackness are your lost loved ones looking down on you and smiling because they know that you are happy. You see nature and people as they are meant to be and not as society forces them to be. Most importantly though, you see yourself as all that you want to be, all that you can be ... and you can finally accept it.
These places, these personalized safe havens, are gifts from God. They do not come as angels, nor do they surprise you with the strength of a miracle. Instead they wait, patiently, until you need them. And when that day comes, they are there, as pure and as incredible as they once were.
"Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else."
~Anonymous
In a life that harbors so many regrets as that of a human, one can live purely if and only if they allow themselves to first be vulnerable, and then be a shoulder to someone else. So then, could it be said that the only way to truly find yourself is to first let yourself be lost?
There are some days, when it's snowing, that it feels like you're in the most beautiful snow globe on the planet. As you stand on the mountain and look down into Carrabassett Valley, you see nothing beyond this incredible wall of snow on all sides of you. You see the mountain, the trails, the people, and that's it. The coolest feeling is knowing that everything you're seeing is pure. The snow is beautiful as endless amounts of it fall from the sky. The people are incredible as they leave their troubles behind and strive to be a better person, if only for a while.
That's what I love about these places. Everyone has a place that means so much more than any other place to them. It's that feeling of relief that you get when you arrive. It's the peace that comes over you. There's nothing to it. No strings attached no commitment. There's just that feeling of knowing that whatever time, whatever day, whatever weather, whatever people are around, that place is always there for you. And each and every visit is as special as the last.
As you do whatever it is that you do at your special place, you can feel whatever emotions it is that you need to feel, and there is no one there to judge you. As I fly down the mountain on my skis, I can laugh about something that happened, I can talk to myself about how to fix a problem, I can figure out why something never happened, I can cry about the loss of a loved one. It's these things that really matter. It's this ability to be who you are and say what you feel that makes something like this so special. Without this unjudged, unbiased environment, no place would hold such a sacred place in anyone's heart. It is because of the unbiased lens of nature and all of her creations that we are able to feel so good about whatever we happen to be going through. The neverending judgement of our day to day lives orients us to feeling like we are no at good as we could be, as we should be. This place, this heaven, does not include any of that.
I am so grateful to have found such a place. Some people never find a place like this, a place that they can call home. Home doesn't have to be where you live, it doesn't have to be where your family is, nor does it need to be where you were raised. Home is deeper than that. Home is where you feel safe, where you are comfortable being you, where you never feel a need to be anything other than what you truly are.
It's an incredible feeling, to have some place to actually call home and to mean it. You're there, and you feel and see things you haven't felt in a while. You feel the emotions run out, the laughs resurface, the tears come and then go. You see the stars, as pure and as gorgeous as they get, and you know that those shining spots in the midnight blackness are your lost loved ones looking down on you and smiling because they know that you are happy. You see nature and people as they are meant to be and not as society forces them to be. Most importantly though, you see yourself as all that you want to be, all that you can be ... and you can finally accept it.
These places, these personalized safe havens, are gifts from God. They do not come as angels, nor do they surprise you with the strength of a miracle. Instead they wait, patiently, until you need them. And when that day comes, they are there, as pure and as incredible as they once were.
"Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else."
~Anonymous
In a life that harbors so many regrets as that of a human, one can live purely if and only if they allow themselves to first be vulnerable, and then be a shoulder to someone else. So then, could it be said that the only way to truly find yourself is to first let yourself be lost?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
