I have to say “The Way Things Are,” Chapter 7 has been my favorite chapter. There were so many things in that chapter that I could relate to.
When I was first learning how to ski, I remember how there were times with every time I hit a patch of ice I would fall. Like Roz, I also wanted to quit. And a few times I did. Right away, when reading “The Downhill Challenge” my attention was grabbed because I could relate to Roz’s story about skiing. I came to a point with skiing where I realized that I was wasting time sitting out. I also realized that with skiing I could set my own goals. If I lived in fear of ice and falling, I would fall. I loved this quote:
“Mistakes can be like ice. If we resist them, we may keep on slipping into a posture of defeat. If we include mistakes in our definition of performance, we are likely to glide through them and appreciate the beauty of the longer run.” p. 102
I also was encouraged by the story of the rabbi with good and bad news, along with the story of rain in Florida delaying a flight schedule.
“Attention is like light and air and water. Shine attention on obstacles and problems and they multiply lavishly.” P. 108
I find this so true. I know when I start focusing on all the problems and try to solve them; everything else seems to have something wrong with it too. It gets tiresome. And who has enough energy to keep worrying about worrying?
I enjoyed that analogy as well having been a skier and ski instructor for so many years. It really is the fear of falling that makes us tighten up and potentially causes a fall to be far more painful than if we relaxed an let it go as we give up fighting gravity. What is invaluable as a teacher is to help students overcome that fear, whether it is skiing, acting on stage or singing a song. I have found they remember that years beyond whatever activity they were participating in as a moment in life they did something they could not do before. That is the priceless gift of teaching.
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