The specter of loss always lingers. In the last couple of months, my family had a loss and my friend’s mother passed. I spent the last two weeks in Utah skiing. The long chair rides up the mountain lend themselves to reflection. I’ve gone skiing so many times that the trips and the days blur into each other. Why do I keep going out to the mountains? Skiing is a simple activity, you ride a chair up and you ski down. At the end of the day, you’re right back where you started. I’ve never wondered why I skied before, but having a loss makes you question even the most basic joys in life.
I take your point that joy doesn't require explanation or justification--your essay compellingly demonstrates it and I heartily agree!
I can't help speculating, though, about why skiing is simultaneously so thrilling and so deeply consoling. It's super fun, of course. My guess it's because skiing (surfing, slacklining, etc.) take us into a state of flow, where the physical sensations are exciting and so immersive that our mind goes to another level of total concentration, and is at last relieved from the continual mental "doom scrolling" inside our minds, the lamentably normal state of background cognitive processing through endless random ideas, distractions and anxieties and baseless hopes . . .
I made a big career pivot into teaching after what I considered to be a successful career in consulting & startups (for my own objectives/goals). In my interview I expressed how it was pure joy for me to teach again (I had done it before, and I was already doing it as a casual, and I was interviewing for a permanent position). I was almost caught off guard when asked what it was about teaching that gave me joy. I gave a pseudo-scientific answer that was probably semi-convincing (got the job) but really it's as hard to explain as it is why someone would like chocolate ice cream over strawberry ice cream.
Ski trips are great for deep thoughts. I once unknowingly ate a bunch of edibles (thought it was just half a bar of chocolate) on a ski lift in Colorado, and wow ... the next few hours ...
I take your point that joy doesn't require explanation or justification--your essay compellingly demonstrates it and I heartily agree!
I can't help speculating, though, about why skiing is simultaneously so thrilling and so deeply consoling. It's super fun, of course. My guess it's because skiing (surfing, slacklining, etc.) take us into a state of flow, where the physical sensations are exciting and so immersive that our mind goes to another level of total concentration, and is at last relieved from the continual mental "doom scrolling" inside our minds, the lamentably normal state of background cognitive processing through endless random ideas, distractions and anxieties and baseless hopes . . .
I made a big career pivot into teaching after what I considered to be a successful career in consulting & startups (for my own objectives/goals). In my interview I expressed how it was pure joy for me to teach again (I had done it before, and I was already doing it as a casual, and I was interviewing for a permanent position). I was almost caught off guard when asked what it was about teaching that gave me joy. I gave a pseudo-scientific answer that was probably semi-convincing (got the job) but really it's as hard to explain as it is why someone would like chocolate ice cream over strawberry ice cream.
I'm also very sorry to hear about your family's loss.
Ski trips are great for deep thoughts. I once unknowingly ate a bunch of edibles (thought it was just half a bar of chocolate) on a ski lift in Colorado, and wow ... the next few hours ...
Skiing is just great Chris!!
I became a fan while spending some years in the Alps region of France.
It was a blast! Never asked myself why...
Keep skiing!
Did you buy the sweatshirt Chris? 😁 and if so, what was the brand?
Wow, I've been joyfully skiing for 20 years and haven't really noticed that I've not really pondered on the why until now...