They think I am lying. They think I am making fun of them. If I tell anyone, they don’t believe me. But I seriously think it is fun. I enjoy falling during skiing vacations. My motto: a day without falling is a day without skiing.
A friend was unable to walk for months after her skiing trip and was forced to reschedule her entire fieldwork. Another friend got a concussion. Objectively speaking, it can be scary to think that such injuries can also result from a fall. Still, I enjoy a good fall in the snow. An unhealthy knack for self-destruction? I don’t think so.
Who would want to spend all day focusing on “not making mistakes”?
A fall is only admissible and “fun” under particular circumstances. When there are people around or when I am going fast, I concentrate on not falling. But who would want to spend all day focusing on not making mistakes? After all, you do want to challenge yourself, push your boundaries, and learn how speed, balance and power work together? And test what you can and can’t do. And without a fall, you have no business wearing all that protective gear.
When my back suddenly becomes a sledge, and I helplessly spin around, wondering which side is up and which is down, I feel wide awake. Falling properly is an art. I give thought to where the impact will land and how best to spread the g-forces, much like a roll in judo. Meanwhile, I envision how funny my fall must look.
I envision how funny my fall must look
I could say that this story is not about skiing at all. I don’t ski and never will. This story is a metaphor for life. Falling is part of life. I could say all that. But I am not a motivational speaker, and this is a Resource column and not a post on LinkedIn. Taking a fall in life is rarely funny in hindsight, even if it is a learning opportunity (proof is abundantly present in the Resource item ‘Live and Learn’). This story is one hundred per cent about skiing. Do you still believe me? Or do you think I’m fibbing? I just wanted to pull your leg, much like I do my own when I ski. I am going again in a week.
Steven Snijders (26) has recently graduated with his MSc in Economics and Policy and is currently in the no-mans-land between studying and the life of a working person. He writes about the post-student era.