Skiing Dates
We have spent this past week in Utah, skiing. We are finally to the point where all my kids ski, and we come every year. Every time I get to the mountains, I remember the first time Brian and I went skiing. It wasn't great.
Here's a little background: I grew up skiing. I loved it. Because I am the youngest, when I was the only one left at home, and my parents didn't ski anymore, I stopped going altogether. I was 14.
College was busy and I spent much of my spare time dancing, so I didn't ski during that time, either. And then I met Brian. Brian did not grow up skiing. Regardless, he and his roommates decided we would all go on a ski trip together. I agreed, hesitantly, because it had been so long since I had done any skiing.
Brian had skied a handful of times, never taken a lesson, and really had no clue what he was doing. He was also nervous about skiing with me. I reassured him that I hadn't been in years, so I would be like a beginner too.
Nope. I wasn't. Even though I thought I would be rusty...skiing was like riding a bike. It all came back to me as soon as I clicked into my skis.
Our ski date was doomed. We had only been on a few dates at this point, and neither of us knew the other very well. For one thing, he didn't know that I laugh when I am nervous. A lot. I can't help it. And I didn't know how competitive he was, or that my laughing would make him really, really angry.
So the day went like this:
I skied fairly smoothly down the mountain. Brian fell about every 10 feet. I didn't know how to teach him to ski. I offered tips...he kept falling. I laughed. The entire situation was so ridiculous, and I was incredibly uncomfortable. So I kept laughing.
At one point, we got off the lift and tried an easy run. Unfortunately, I made a wrong turn and we went down a black diamond run. I think he wanted to kill me. Literally. We both tumbled and rolled down that one.
That's pretty much how the day went. I think it could rank as the worst date ever.It ended with some pretty mean words to each other, and tears from me. If we had been home, I think we would have gone to our own apartments and moved on.
But, we were not home. We were staying the rest of the weekend in a cabin...together. We couldn't run away.
By the time we left the cabin and headed back to Provo, all was well again. We were in like--maybe in love? At the very least, we weren't ready to call it quits.
I learned a few things from our notorious ski disaster:
1) don't give up on a relationship because of a bad date. Some dates are just disasters. Move forward.
2) ski lessons are underrated. If you don't know how to ski, take a lesson. Find a teacher and learn some skills. It benefits ALL the skiers on the mountain.
3) don't laugh when other people fall down skiing, even if it's a nervous habit. (Ok, I still do this one...but it's better if you don't. Brian says I should wait and see if they are ok first, and then laugh). Alright, alright.
4) keep trying. Brian could have easily decided he was not a skier, and never gone again. But he knew I loved it, so he took lessons. And now we ski together every year...and we have a great time!In this new year of 2020, go skiing if you can! It's really fun. And may all your ski dates be awesome ski dates.
