Message from the Slopes by Atul Singh

I am liking this feeling. These vistas, snow covered slopes, sometimes too thick with snow and sometimes with thinner snow cover. Cool wind in my hair is playing, channeling from the Eagles song and from them mountains right into and through me. I am liking this feeling. I am staying within my Skis, by and large. The slopes are long and lazy sometimes and steep and brutal at other times. I can just bend my knees and stay put while I pick up speed here and have to cut really sharp S ss there. Too much snow piled up on this one, almost like Moguls, but I keep on and what a beautiful day!! I am happy as a lark.

Suddenly in a split of a split of a split second every sinew, every muscle fibre, every neuron is lit up like a thousand fireworks as the body navigates itself into and then out of a severe fall. It’s the feeling we get when we are walking or running and hit a stone or sidewalk and are about to be on all fours. We come alive like at no other moment in time, don’t we? At this moment though, because of the severity of the potential impact, of body getting twisted, of Skis flying out, all of that and then some, at 15 -20 miles per hour, lighting up of senses, known and unknown is also just as exaggerated. 

Message 1 from the slopes: Stay here, stay in the present moment, 100 percent, at all times in relaxed concentration. Be available, mentally and physically to live and navigate this moment in time. That is life. That is all that matters. There will be time to ponder and reflect and take in the views and all that. It is not now. Now is the time to live. To be truly completely alive. What is being alive if not being fully available to this moment in time. Hahn? 

Ok, we after the quick hicuup and recovery, life’s beautiful song starts again. I am here now. I am doing more than I could have ever thought I could do. The slope soon flattens out. I straighten my skis and start picking up speed. It feels good, am in control and it is liberating. Liberating from what I don’t know. May be just the ability to move that fast without being in a motorized vehicle. I have dreamed the same dream of being a bird and flying a million times I think. It’s the joy of being in direct skin contact with the elements that informs that freedom to me. Nothing else can bring this feeling as skiing can. Nothing. 

Message 2: Don’t look too far out.

You are happy as a lark, skiing down some easy and some difficult slopes. Then there is this beautiful view. So you stop to take a few pictures. You see other Skiers fast and slow going by as you enjoy the vista. They dissapear from the view really fast you observe. Then you peer over. This is the path you have to go. It is fucking steep. You start to freeze. The slope is steep and goes way down, barely relenting on gradient. You sense fear rising. There is no other way to go but this. That fact is not lost on you. The mind is starting to get muddled. You were fine so far. Now suddenly? wtf? You put the phone away safely, freeze your thoughts and just start moving. You only look 2-3 yards ahead of you, not all the way down. You knew this to be true. You must not see too far down and you must’nt stop. In skiing and in life. Infact the steeper the slope, the bigger the goal, the less you stop, and the more you focus on the next few yards, only. 

Life too reveals itself few moments at a time doesn’t  it? You have elaborate plans for next five years and wrong turn later, you are watching your mangled body from another realm. What happened to the five year plan?  It’s not unimportant to have a plan, to be on the right path. But next few yards are all that matter. 

The movement and the concentration finally gets your arse down the slope. It wasn’t so bad afterall. It wasn’t so bad you exclaim and are on your merry way. 

Leason 3 Teenagers:

They are like toddlers, just as evil, but bigger in size. They look at you like you were Darth Vader when you click on the wrong button while locking the car with your gloved hands. The car alarm screamed and their look betrays their feelings for you. Their feelings for you sway ever so gently between being embarrassed, ashamed, or upset. In their beautiful minds, it’s called Cringe. They are Cringed out by you, plain and simple. 

You did all you could to get stuff together while letting them sleep in this morning, went to the lobby, had your breakfast and coffee to then come back and wake them up. They were tired from multiple back to back days of skiing you see. So you let them sleep an hour extra while you fixed things up for the day. Finally all of you get ready, breakfast and all done and it’s a bit late. Everyone carries their stuff and you carry the all important bag with everyone’s helmets and gloves. Then you fill up some water bottles and they have to wait for a few. The Cringe factor is rising. Now you go down to the car, hands full and everyone except you have their Ski shoes. Your hands were full and so you forgot your’s in the room. No word is uttered but the Cringe factor hits your arse like an upset wave as you walk back towards the hotel lobby. They are getting late and it is your fault. 

And then the slopes. Day one you realized you couldn’t keep up. So you let them be on their own. How many times could you handle the “you are so slow” look, as you ski down 2-3 minutes after they reach down. So you declare… you are on your own guys, now that your legs are warmed up. You are releived and they take off before you finish your sentence.

But you are as much of a son of a gun as there ever was. You lie in wait, like a crouching tiger hidden dragon. You will get even. One day they will be wiping your butt. A slight smile betrays your happy. And one day they will have their kids. Now you break out in an evil laughter. The guy next to you in line for the ski lift slows down. He will take the next lift up. It was your laughter.