Today, appropriately, I played in the snow.
Today was the second day of my school’s Operation Snowball
retreat. If you are unfamiliar with the
program, it is an anti-drug/anti- substance abuse retreat that focuses on
educating teens on issues of addiction, abuse, and self-harm while offering
them a safe haven where they can meet new friends, listen to informational
talks, play games, and share with one another in small groups. It is always a great time for the students
who attend, and for many of them, their participation is a highlight of their
high school career.
Today, while the students were busy with an activity that
didn’t require the supervision of every adult on staff, I was given a chance to
do something I haven't done in a very long time. One of the other adult
leaders, Michelle, came up to me to tell me that there was a hill behind one of
the cabins (yep- cabins. We get rustic)
that, thanks to the recent snowfall, was just perfect for sledding. The camp also had four tubes that we could
borrow to go tubing in – and by “we” I mean a group of adults ranging in age
from twenty to somewhere in their fifties.
Now, once upon a time (read: when I was ten) going tubing
would sound like the absolute best idea on the planet. Those of you who know me well know that
throwing myself onto the ground and down a hill is not something I would
normally jump at. I do, however, like to
think of myself as someone who embraces life and opportunity, so after a brief
hesitation, I said “I’m in,” and rounded up some other adults to go along with
us.
We grabbed the tubes, hiked up to the top of the hill –
which had a tree dangerously growing out of the middle of it – and started to
slide down it. Michelle went first to
make a path, and shortly after her, I made my run. Now, I don’t want to glamorize my trip down
the snowy hill. It was not ideal. I sat down in the tube, realizing it was just
low enough in air pressure for my butt to sink into the snow beneath it. Beyond causing a really uncomfortable behind
– the drag of my tush in the snow also seriously hindered my from flying down
the hill National Lampoon-style. I
pushed up on my triceps to elevate myself and asked for a push from my fellow
snow bunnies.
The actual slide down the hill is not worth
documenting. It took me more than half
the way down to gain any momentum, and I spent maybe six feet sliding with any
speed at all. By then I had a wet butt,
and was worried about ruining the Bandolino boots I was wearing (I was not
dressed for the occasion). I knew that
single mediocre run would be my only one of the day. I watched a few more adults slide down the
hill, and a few lay down in the snow to make snow angels. I looked around at the camp and appreciated
the scenic view, and breathed in the crisp, but relatively warm thirty degree
air. I thought about how funny it was
that the kids were playing inside while we were playing out in the snow.
While there was very little epic about my romp in the snow
today – it was a moment I seized that I normally would have let pass. If I were not on this journey intended to
help me experience each day of my life, I know I would have sat inside and
watched the kids play – it would have been a pleasant, but not a new
experience. With snow boots, a longer
coat, and a tubbier tube – I’d take on a snowy hill in a heartbeat.
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