B area only

When I was between the ages of 12 & 16 , I took day trips to Hunter Mountain to ski. It's where I learned to ski. Each Sunday for that four year period my mom would wake me up around 4am and take me down to 57th Street & Sutton Place South to meet the bus. It was run by a company called Adventure Trails - A fine group, Jerry, Joel & "Brooksie". I would board the bus half dazed from the abrupt awakening to find a seat next to one of my fellow day trippers. A bus load of pre-pubescent kids on our way up to the mountain to get as many runs in as possible before the weekend drew to a close. The actual drives I can't remember; probably because I was asleep most of the time. But the skiing; those memories are vivid. One memory in particular is of the "test" Hunter Mountain introduced in my second year to determine what areas of the mountain we could ski.
"A test?" "Are you kidding me?" "We're like, a hundred miles away from school and it's Sunday for Pete's sake".
I couldn't believe it. Inside I froze like the fake snow that Hunter is famous for. Outside though I went with the flow of the group. Now, I didn't test well back then. I still don't. I remember cherishing every one of those free two hundred points you get for spelling your name right on the SAT's. I can remember feeling scared, nervous, "found out" and that the jig was up. I mean skiing is supposed to be fun, right? Not pressure oriented.
So as directed, the group went up the designated chairlift to the section of the mountain where the ski patrol set up this "test " area - Right under the main chairlift and just above the main lodge. Now I don't know what Hunter Mountain is like now, but back then on a Sunday it was kind of like Herald square on Christmas Eve. And that particular section was like the Macy's window - In full view of everybody. Hey, no pressure..........
So off I went, I had to execute three or four turns through the gates and at the bottom of the "test" site I would get issued a sticker for my lift ticket. I turned through each gate. I was pleased with myself. I did it. Or so I thought. I was directed to the right to get a bright fluorescent orange sticker that said "B area only".

"What?" "But I turned." "And I stopped" (snowplowed).

No explanation, no sympathies, just "B area only". All my friends got fluorescent green "All Area" stickers. The divide was made. I wasn't worthy of the "All Area" sticker and they all knew it. Oh, some of them took a few intermediate runs with me to start the day, but they didn't stick around. And that's how it went. At the end of the day we would all meet back at the bus and I would hear all about runs with names like "The K27" and "Hell Gate". I would tell them about my runs on "Rip Van Winkle" and "West Side Glide". I didn't stand a chance with the girls.

In spite of it all, I remained determined. I would get that All Area sticker next week. The next week came; B area only. The next week came; B area only. The next week; B area only. And so on and so on. I began to accept my fate and I found other B area onlys' to ski with. It was fun. But I always looked up at "Hell Gate" from the Rip Van Winkle chair and whispered to myself in that Sideshow Bob kind of way "Some day........"

Towards the end of ski season the weather warms up during the day and then drops at night so the runs freeze. In the morning there would be patchy ice - even on the "test" site. One thing about eastern skiing is the ice. It's everywhere. Rip Van Winkle had ice. I skied Rip Van Winkle all year. I knew every inch of that run. I knew how to ski the ice. On my second turn through the gate of the "test" site, I lifted my downhill ski to avoid a patch of ice. I hockey stopped in front of the ski patrol guy and he pointed me to the left.................

"Are you sure?" I said to him in my head. But I didn't hesitate. I went left to get the coveted green fluorescent "All Area" sticker. From that day forward I would ski on every run on that mountain.

And that's the way it goes for me to this day. When ever I set out on a new endeavor, I need to stumble through it upside down and ass backwards before I get some kind of clue about how it works for me. I'd say that about 10% of the time, I get lucky and get it "right" the first time, but then I'll need to go back and learn to build the foundation that I skipped over because of that luck. That's true for anything: Skiing, running, raising a puppy, coaching, acting, relationships (of all sorts), even understanding myself.

When I reach a point of satisfaction, accomplishment or joy in my adult life I reflect back on that moment on Hunter Mountain when I was granted "All Area". Sometimes when I'm caught in a struggle in my day to day, I mutter to myself "B area only, B area only". I know if i keep at it, I'll get that fluorescent green "All Area" sticker. I have it in a lot of my life. If I were to put florescent stickers on every compartment of my life I would have only a few orange "B area only" ones. But I'm still skiing. The lifts haven't closed yet. I'll get my chance on the "test" site so I can have "All Area" in all areas. How about you?