An Adventure in Reclaiming Joy
Today I immersed myself in JOY! Flying down the ski slopes in the warm spring sun under a bluebird sky with a dear friend had me brimming over with gratitude, endorphins, oxytocin, and a deep connection to Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Love. On the lift rides, we shared stories of skiing in our youth, dropping easily into our antics as 3-, 8- or 10-year-olds, remembering the sheer fun and freedom we had when we stepped into our skis and owned the mountain. I felt like that young girl again, and I saw from my friend’s broad smile that she did too. We found our perma-grin!
For me, skiing is a lemniscate of energy exchange with the elements. I embody the element of air, feeling speed, wind, and my own accelerated breathing. The wind causes my eyes to stream tears as I skim across the snow, intricately frozen water crystals that have fallen to earth over the winter, and now are firmly packed by a season of fun. On this hot spring day, the snow is already transitioning in its magical cycle and I laugh to think I’ll be playing with it again soon during rafting season. The fiery sun warms my face, and I’m on fire inside too, all thrusters burning, every muscle cranking energy to help me stay upright.
Bear Tree
On our last run down, the strong scent of sap makes me stop abruptly, inhaling deeply the awakening earth. I feel my heart pumping my own sap through my body then focus on the blue spruce tree in front of me. It is weeping sap from many recent injuries so dire we think it may not recover. We gently send it love and gratitude; then in a nearby grove of aspens, we see the bear trees! These are scarred with generations of claw marks, puncture holes in the whitebark where they climb up and long slashes from sliding down. This is where mama bears return yearly to teach their cubs to climb. My friend and I are both mama bears with grown children whom we raised on these slopes. The sight of the bear trees feels incredibly close to our hearts, to our own journeys. Our perma-grins reignite.
It’s late, our legs are like Jell-O. “One more?” we ask each other eagerly, like children who don’t want to leave a party. And off we go.
I invite you to reclaim your Joy at the Awaken Your Joy Retreat in the Oregon Coast Range, July 18-21, 2019. With co-guide Tara Skubella and the powerful elements of nature, we’ll guide you to rediscover and empower your Inner Child, and show you the secrets of how to hold Joy in your life. Learn about this fun, rejuvenating, playful retreat here.
