Mondays are for dreaming: Feeling like a kid again

My legs ache, my eyes are heavy, and I am full of maple brioche bread pudding. None of these feelings are especially conducive to writing blog posts, although my general sense of well-being is of course perfectly suited to the Monday Dreaming theme. So is the fact that I am currently sitting in front of a lovely gas fireplace in a condominium at Smugglers’ Notch toasting my tootsies and contemplating the fresh powder that lies in ample amounts outside my door.

I’m going to write lots of great posts about why Smuggs is a great place to bring the kids. But today I wanted to talk about why it is a great place to bring yourself. As someone who gave up downhill skiing for almost two decades only to return to it last winter, I have struggled a bit to feel confident in my abilities. I’ve been secretly longing to get out on the bumps and into the trees, but wasn’t sure if I was up to it. So I’ve zipped down flatter groomed trails while Matt tagged along behind me and told myself I wasn’t yet ready for the bumpier stuff.

That is, until my lesson today. It was supposed to be a group lesson, but I was the only person in my level interested in skiing moguls, so it was just me and my teacher John who was eager to help me recapture my lost skiing mojo. Which he did by leading me down an increasingly challenging series of bump-filled trails.

“I want you to look like a porpoise,” he said, “moving up and down so smoothly.” And you know what? With his tips to stand up tall before turning and then bend into the bumps as I went round them I was able to feel fast and graceful. In fact I skied the entire length of F.I.S. – a black diamond trail just chock full of moguls – and then headed into the woods of Moonshiner’s Glades for good measure. The air was cold, the snow was soft and plush, and the sun shone palely while I zipped down like the eleven-year-old kid I once was. It was all I could do to keep from whooping with joy as I dipped around birch trees and caught a little air on the occasional big bump.

There is much to tell you about family fun at Smuggs from the huge inflatable slides to the indoor pools to the terrain parks. But today I just wanted to share something I know I’ll be dreaming about for months, which is the joy of successfully flying down a challenging trail and knowing that when you get to the bottom, you’re going to go right back up and try it again. This is the pure pleasure of downhill skiing on a beautiful mountain, which really needs no supplement or enhancement.

What’s your Monday Dream? And mind you, it isn’t absent from my mind that today we celebrate the birth of one the greatest dreamers of all time.

Many thanks to Smugglers’ Notch for providing accommodations, lessons, lift tickets, and lessons to me and my family.

Photo courtesy of mpilote via Flickr.