Aryn Week 6: Sliding, Gliding, and Glissading

    While living in Canada, the norm was to pick up a winter sport, practically from birth. Whether it was skiing, snowboarding, or some sort of skating, children were always found doing something rather than sitting inside. However, I was a little behind, being that I was from Florida. While most children are taught to swim or focus on their speech, I was taught to ski. Shortly after my first time skiing, at the young age of 2, I quickly realized that skiing would be my escape from reality. As children, every memory we make is unique and memorable in its very own way. Going skiing with my dad and my sisters every weekend during the snowy season rapidly became the thing I looked most forward to. That first feeling of a strong gust of wind coming at your face as soon as you step off the lift, made everything around you instantly disappear. You had no worries, no thoughts about school, friends, or even food. Everything just dissolved into thin air while you have the time of your life glissading down the slopes. The feeling of fresh snow gliding beneath my freshly waxed skis gave me an indescribable sensation. Especially during our teenage years, we are presented with so many unnecessary issues and problems that we shouldn't have to deal with at such a young age. However, skiing allowed me to slip out of the rush of my everyday life. Practicing my pizza and french fry on the slopes was the least of my worries. Skiing gave me the courage that I could do anything. It made me realize that if I could defy gravity by simply turning my skis in the direction I wished, I could surely do a simple math problem. As dramatic as it may seem, skiing gave me a sense of relief and comfort that I didn't feel in the hecticness of my life off the slopes. 

What gives you a sense of comfort and calmness?