Why I'm Like Shawn White

I’m watching the X-Games and wishing I was there. In my youth I was a pretty good skier. Definitely not the daredevil that these women are, but I spent every Tuesday on the slopes all winter long. And I can’t believe that now I’m watching snow on T.V. or that I’m sitting here with ice packs on my knees because my kids wanted a dance night last night. It’s not that I want a different life—I’d miss the one I have too much—but it’s the end of January and I’m itching for a challenge.


Generally I’ve got ideas on how to switch things up, but I’m coming up blank this year and it’s bugging me. Maybe it’s because so many of friends and family are uncharacteristically switching things up. My hubby just started school. He spends hours every night doing homework like my kids. My sister is looking into cosmetology school and my other sister is currently on a cruise ship somewhere deliberately ignoring her cell phone. I guess it’s no wonder that I’m feeling left behind.

So here’s my question for the day. Why is it that we don’t challenge ourselves as we get older? Why don’t we try something new? There are some rather obvious reasons, I realize. It’s much harder to hit the slopes when you have to outfit the equivalent of a basketball team in parkas, hats, gloves and skis. It’s also lots more expensive. When you have a family, everything you do requires extra planning and often extra packing as well. So I’ll agree that that we have to want it more as we get older because it just takes more work to get it. But that’s still a lame excuse. I’m a different woman now than I was in my twenties. Stronger, somehow and more comfortable in my skin than ever. You’d think it would be easier to figure out what to do, but I’m struggling this year. Guess I’m like Shawn White. I just watched him miss out on the Superslope finals. It seems we both need to decide what’s next. I’m open to suggestions.