Here we are in a place fast becoming something new.” Richard Powers, Bewilderment
During the final week of our ski/snowboard season in the Alps, we met an American family. We haven’t seen many Americans this year and we were so excited to chat in our native tongue and connect with ease. When they found out we were living in Cervinia/Zermatt for the season they started asking us about our season statistics. They fired off questions like… “How much vertical have you done so far? What is the top speed reached on a descent? What is your longest run of the season in miles? How many days have you skied? ” We all just sat there quietly trying to process the questions. They filled in the blank stares saying, “You know there are apps where you load your season’s pass number and you can see all your stats, right?”
We walked away a bit dazed and the kids started wondering about the app and the stats and the silence washed over us again. As I sat with their questions, a much deeper inquiry arose:
“What does it depend on when we have experienced a month as a fulfilled time, our time, instead of a time that has passed us by… that ran through our fingers, so that it seems to us like a lost, past time, and we’re not sad because it is past, but because we couldn’t do anything with it? So, the question was not how long is a month, but rather: What can you do for yourself with the time of a month? When is it that I have the impression that this month was all mine? The fullness of time that yawns when the barrage of appointments falls silent? Aren’t those wonderful things? A heavenly situation? So why the fear of it?” ~Pascal Mercier
We came to the realization that while there is nothing wrong with the statistics, it seemed a superficial way to measure our time here. At dinner that evening, we had a long discussion around the table about what we would remember most from the gift of this season in the Alps. Here are the highlights of that conversation …
We will measure this season …
By the humbling days, we spent in the shadows of these majestic peaks
We will measure this season …
By the days we spent tucked into cozy cafes while the weather howled outside
We will measure this season …
By how many chairlift rides we took together as a family
We will measure this season …
In rays of sunshine
We will measure this season …
In how hard we pushed ourselves physically to reach the next level.
We will measure this season …
In the days we spent with family at home and abroad
We will measure this season …
By the moments we let ourselves go and flew around corners
We will measure this season …
Based on the contentment we felt dreaming together
We will measure this season
By honoring family members we laid to rest, and gratitude for each moment we had with them on earth.
We will measure this season
By the people in our village that opened their doors to us to make this season magical. Thank you Francesca and Marco at Il Cervino, we wouldn’t be here without you! Thank you Enrico and Max at Valle Ski Service for the equipment. Thank you, Lino and Lino’s Bar for your friendship. Thank you Ivo and Lucca at Ivo Del Brallo for the great gear. Thank you Irene at Berthod Sport for being you. Thank you Stefano for being a great boss for the boys at the Crai Grocery Store. To Indian Park and Cervinia Ski Paradise for turning this mountain into the best playground on earth. Thank you to all our favorite cafes and restaurants, you know who you are. This is a village in every sense of the word and we are so lucky to have the experience of living here.
We will measure this season
By paying attention to how nature shows us she is “fast becoming something new.”
After we finished this dinner conversation, we all decided not to download the season’s pass statistics app. It seemed like we already had our answer.
This season, every season, any season is about the moments of connection to ourselves, our family, our culture, our global community, and our beloved mother nature.
The question is not what did you do this season, but rather who are you fast becoming because you made the most of the “fullness of time” you have been given?
Even if that fullness was a moment between errands, a moment of silence before anyone else wakes, or a moment right as your eyes get heavy in the evening. It is a moment worth measuring by giving your absolute presence over to it because it is your moment … don’t miss it! Who knows, if you mine the moments, you just might find yourself fast becoming something new, as the passing seasons do with such grace year after year.
We are off to a new location to welcome the next season. We look forward to sharing the adventure with you.
