Conditions aren’t Perfect
It’s winter now in Northeast Wisconsin, I’m located in the nook of Wisconsin between the “thumb” and the “index finger” (look at a map and you’ll see Green Bay)! I have come to believe that for me, I must find the meaning and metaphor in every aspect of life. If I were to deny this, life would honestly be too mundane for me to handle. If everything in life was “what you see is what you get” I would become disillusioned and believe me, I have been. When the magic wanes, so do I.
On this particular day, I wanted to go cross country skiing, one of the few outdoor activities that our Arctic atmosphere allows you to do here for fun. I enjoy the classic style skiing above the skate skiing style which requires much more athletic endurance and form. I am fortunate that I live near quite a few sites where one can cross country ski, so I loaded up the skis into Oscar Mike-On the Move (Jeep Wrangler) and we headed out. If you can believe it, there are seasons in Wisconsin in winter where we don’t actually have a lot of snow. This is one of those seasons. The weather was cold, then warm and then it even rained. Now, a little bit of snow graced us with its presence. Once out on the skis, the trail wasn’t groomed. By groomed, I mean that there wasn’t ski tracks to follow. In classic style skiing, a groomed path makes it much easier and enjoyable when there are tracks to relax and glide within. Not only were there no tracks to follow, in places there was slush and even some pieces of exposed ground…conditions weren’t perfect. I looked a bit foolish with my skis going this way and that, navigating the trails without tracks. Yet, on this day, the first ski of 2023, I went and I did it. Was I ready to finish up at the end of the 4-mile loop? Yes! Were my legs extra sore from the stabilization that they needed to do in order to keep the tips of the skis pointed ahead? Yes! Did I realize that my toe nails needed to be trimmed in order to prevent losing them next time I skied? Yes! Conditions weren’t perfect but I was happy that I went.
As I skied, I pondered the trail conditions and their imperfection, a beautifully symbolic metaphor for my life. My life is far from being in the perfect condition and yet, I must go and live it. Get out there, in this imperfect season, and ski without carved path that I can put my skis into and just glide effortlessly within. No, today, on the path of life, I am working with less than perfect conditions where I will slip and slide, maybe even fall but I cannot stand still. I feel as if I have been standing still for quite a few years (I will tell you about later). Granted, I never was standing still, some years were the great free fall and some were climbing back up out of the giant rabbit hole. But, I knew on this particular day that it was time to move forward and not wait for the perfect day to ski nor wait to re-build my life. So, I began… again…. all sloppy and floppy. It doesn’t pretty like I am effortless gliding but I am moving forward and it feels amazing.
This blog is a beautiful metaphor as well. My stories, my words, my lessons and perhaps even…me…lie trapped in notebooks or in files on my Mac. Stuck. Entombed. Waiting for perfect conditions to be released into the world. Waiting until I knew more about websites, perhaps after another writing class…stuck in someday…
I was their author and their first intended recipient but I am sure that these words and lessons aren’t just for me. For in life, everything is used. Like the seed that has to be entombed and then broken open in order to produce the fruit, I believe that someone out there does need to hear the metaphors and experience the meaning that I have found in this life through my words, maybe that’s where your magic will begin? Maybe it’s just the invitation you need to wander into the woods and ski? So, today, in this season of imperfection…here I am.
“There’s no need to be perfect, only perfectly me.” - Jesse B.
What have you been putting off until conditions are perfect?
