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We’re 3 months into the new year and it’s been wild. The news is like listening to someone learning the violin or nails on a chalkboard, take your pick! Meanwhile, I’ve been finding within me a desire to dig deep and to find more stable ground. I want to go back to my roots of finding beauty and connection in all things. I think we could all use a little fresh air and blue skies in the French Alps.
A little before my 40th birthday last year and I asked myself what I wanted 40 to feel like. It felt like a big number. I don’t fear aging but still, sometimes you forget to be present along the way and the years just… pass. I was busy being a parent. Navigating life in another culture, country and language and all that came with it. I may feel at home here, but it’ll still never be as easy as living in Canada. A few years passed. What I really wanted to feel was strong, healthy, happy, connected and creative. I put myself to work to build habits that have supported me since. I’ve been derailed a couple times, because life happens to us all, but at least I can say when I decide on something, I stick to it.
But winters are hard aren’t they? The days feel a little dull and grey. And this year, there’s *a lot* going on in the world to process, a recurring theme maybe.
Anyways, we made a decision a couple months ago to spend winter break skiing. We want the kids to learn while there’s still snow to be found in the moutains. I’ve been going to the pool every week since September with a friend, it’s been great, but I knew I was going to need more. Skiing in the French Alps takes endurance, the runs are long. So as we prepared I decided I would start running a few times a week. A sport I loathed growing up now somehow pulling me out of the winter doldrums as I began to build up my stamina and strength.
I won’t say I was out there showing off on the mountain, it was still hard work and I still love a slow carve down the mountain rather than adrenaline. But I think the weekly practice of being outside set me up to truly appreciate the vastness of being in the mountains again. Being on top of the world, outside of the constant noise of the latest headlines, is so refreshing. It makes you feel part of something so much bigger. There’s no phone, just the sound of the snow, the wind, the chill on your red cheeks. These are moments I feel connected, strong and I’m living a life full of the goodness that is always available.
I still had a fall flat on my chin and chest at one point… I didn’t realise my ski wasn’t properly attached until I was already mid turn down a hill… My neck wishes I could have skipped over that part but… I’m still here! I am grateful we could go. Grateful for all the runs (on pavement, the forest or in the snow) where I got to remind myself of how far I’ve come, how strong my body is and the great choices I’m making each day. I know the world feels insane at the moment, but I’m grateful to find peace, blue skies and beauty in the French Alps. I’m grateful that moving my body doesn’t only help me physically but mentally and even pushes my creativity to new places. I feel a kind of excitement since we’ve been home.
How about you? Have you given some thought to how you’d like to feel as you continue into this year? What habits support you to live your best life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
