Boxes and rails seem to be the phrase I have said more times today than anything else. Its Saturday and Saturday means coaching the FutureStars on the mountain. This collection of six to nine year olds tests me constantly. Children and their perspectives on life are endless amounts of entertainment and aggravation.

Yes, I said it these kids constantly test my patience more than any adult can but at the sometime can bring a pure joy. I spend my day creating a fun and safe learning environment. I have learned the art of skiing with my head on a swivel. Try on your next trail run to watch what’s going on behind you while at the same time propelling your body forward. Well today my group learned a new ski. They learned how to go on a box in the terrain park. A simple move and yet the kids eyes lit up when they accomplished it. Many were scared to try at first.

It’s amazing what we can learn from kids. Watching them put full trust in the process is something we all can apply to lift. Sometimes we have to let down our guards and trust the process. Their willingness to try something new and embrace change is something we all as adults can admire. When was the last time you tried something completely new and put full, I mean full trust in another person. I know for me it’s hard to recall when I threw all caution and reservations to the wind and get let the process happen.

After coaching, I dashed out of the club and back to the school quickly stripping off my ski clothing and into running gear. I set off on a run around 4:00pm. My initial idea was to run a loop, which is about seventeen miles. In reality, as the run progressed my body was not ready for that loop. So I modified, it wasn’t fast and it wasn’t pretty but I got it done. The run rounded out around twelve miles when all was said and done. However, as with the kids earlier in the day sometimes it isn’t about how fast or pretty it is, it’s about going out and driving in and doing it.