Bluebird Day

6.5" x 11.75" watercolor

April 2016

I almost never take selfies (and, in fact, don't usually care to have my picture taken).  But I just had to document my permagrin on a bluebird ski day.  An attempt to capture the joy.

I grew up in a very, very flat region of the Midwest.  Downhill skiing was, in my mind, an exotic sport for crazy, reckless people.  People too lazy to put forth the effort required for cross-country skiing, which has been one of my favorite activities for many years now.   

Moreover, one of my Achilles tendons was severed almost two years ago, and recovery has been a long process (though not painful 6.8 months post-surgery, there's residual assymetry and weakness, and another tendon is torn but I'm not having that one surgically repaired).  My wonderful husband persuaded me to take up downhill skiing this past Christmas.  So when I go downhill skiing, I'm not merely having a good time.  I'm feeling the full effect of having worked past (though not entirely) tremendous fear, judgement, and physical limitations.  Such joy!  It's exciting, involves brain-healthy new learning and finesse, it's terrific physical therapy for my healing leg (and more of a workout than I expected), and I meet super people each time I go.  The camaraderie at a ski mountain feeds my soul as much as the activity itself.  

I took one liberty with this piece: what is reflected in the goggles.  Science-minded viewers will smile smugly, knowing the phenomenon that would cause a reflection of a shining image facing the opposite direction of the actual sun.  My Oneness family will smile at seeing the Jyothi Rupa :)

MAY YOU WALK THROUGH LIFE'S OPEN DOOR WITH JOY!