My new year’s wish for 2011 is doing one thing every day just because it makes me feel good. This may seem like a selfish wish, but is really a matter of changing my mental habits. It’s a matter of thinking “how can I improve this situation” rather than ignoring the problem until it goes away.
Yesterday, my new year’s wish made me get some time-eating studying out of the way, snug under the blankets with my beloved daylight lamp on max. This definitely made me feel great, and the daylight gave me the energy to clean the house, making me feel even better.
Today, it took me skiing.
Open Café 😀
My local skiing area goes by the scenic name of Black Woods (Svartskog), though the landscape is really very mellow, open and hilly, reminding me more of Southern English countryside than a dark Norwegian forest.
I did call home for some ski preparation expertise, but ended up doing nothing. This turned out to be the perfect prep. Last year’s blue wax gave me perfect skis; fast in the downhills and conveniently sticky uphill.
I was out by 1:30, when only a few tourists and late-sleepers were still out. The low sun set the treetops on fire and created wondrous scenes in the winter landscape.
While I enjoy the social aspect of skiing, solitarily shearing through the landscape is definitely enjoyable too. To those who find cross-country skiing boring or pointless – it is not really about getting around, it is just an excuse to get out in nature. The scenes change faster than they do on foot, and most definitely faster than in the gym.
The trip culminated in the hikers’ café that was crammed with kids. The very friendly guy keeping the place informed me that more tracks are underway on the next snowfall. This calls for further adventure!