Falling Down the Mountain

I have never been a fan of winter sports, despite the fact that I grew up in Ohio. For this reason, I was 21 before I ever tried skiing.

I am generally pretty athletic, but I have never enjoyed strapping something to my feet and attempting to move. I’ve never been good at skating, but I thought skiing might be different. I was wrong, very wrong.

I should have known that it wasn’t going to be a good experience when I lost my lift pass before I even got to the slopes. As a newbie, I thought it wise to try the bunny hill first. That’s when I got my second clue that skiing wasn’t for me—I fell down while going up the tow rope.

I think I made two attempts to ski down the mountain. I seldom got very far without falling. By the time I had fallen down the mountain, I had snow crammed inside my clothes. I removed the ski equipment, returned it to the rental stand, and headed to the lodge. Drinking beer by the fireplace was a lot more fun. Not to be a quitter, I tried skiing one more time, with very similar results. I concluded that if God wanted me to ski, I would have been born with wood planks for feet.

Sometimes we need to know when to give up. We can’t be good at everything, and some activities just don’t click with us. We need to be honest with ourself and accept that fact. Life is too short to spend it in a futile pursuit. At the same time, perseverance is indeed a virtue. The trick is knowing when to be persistent, and when to throw in the towel.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008