I woke up excited to go skiing.
I just wanted to go drink mimosas in the sun.
But one of the guys in our group wasnt done yet, he was gung-ho to ski some more.
So he went and cranked out two more laps on a safer slope.
And as I drove home I couldnt help thinking: That guy really loves skiing more than I do.
Immediately followed by well, thats not that surprising, I dont really love skiingthatmuch.
And thats ok, I think.
Big S skiing is the whole damn thing, the entire activity, and everything in its periphery.
Its the locations and the culture and the people and the content and all the rest.
And I LOVE big S skiing.
I dont love the act of skiing as much as I love the rest of it.
Sometimes the act of skiing sucks.
Ill wait in long lines to ski slush with my friends.
But all of those redeeming characteristics are part of big S Skiing, not little s skiing.
And like I said, I love the capital S version a lot more.
Maybe thats part of why Ive never dreamed of being a professional skier.
Ive never really wanted to even imagine dedicating my life so wholly to the act of skiing.
Its never looked attractive to me, Ive always known I wasnt wired for that.
And of course, Im not good enough anyway.
I learned how to ski my Junior year in high school.
Four years later I accepted a full time job in the ski industry.
I just wasnt meshing well with my skis, wasnt really feeling it.
I didnt love skiing enough to keep doing it, so I went home to paint it instead.
Maybe the most telling contrast Ive found is how I feel when Im drawing and painting.
I LOVE illustrating, little I," the act of making images, of creating visuals.
I feel like a fraud occasionally, selling something more than I experience.
I think its just fine to be a not-very-good skier who is obsessed with skiing.
Skiing is fun, lets go slide around a little.
