Tonight I'm writing from a hotel bed in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Cold air, clear sky, and cars with roof racks filled with skis tell me I'm in the right place for a weekend getaway. I used to see these weekends away from home as a hassle. Packing, missing out on weekend plans, and having to spend 8 hours in the car with my parents may have been part of it. Looking back, I feel so ungrateful. Now, having 20 years of life experience, I'll jump at any chance to get out of the city, or as I like to call it sometimes, "crazytown". I enjoyed the four hour drive with my parents, talking about politics, business, and other current events. It made me miss all the times we did this when I was little(r).
A lesson to be learned from this is to be thankful for the now, not for the tomorrow, or to be longing for yesterday. Don't worry about what you're missing out on if your experience is going to be a good one none-the-less. Looking back on it, missing a high school party wasn't that big of a deal, there were millions of those. I would've truly been missing out if I had skipped the family ski weekend my parents had planned. I started taking them for granted because they took place so often. Tonight, I'm looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn with my dad to get a good parking spot on the mountain in order to hit the slopes early. Be thankful for what you have, because one day you may wake up and the people you're sharing it with, may not be able to hit a black diamond with you like you wish they could.
-C
