There is a Time

Fellow Daily Crusher Debbie stopped by and left the following comment:

That last paragraph of yours got me to thinking. I’ve been working on trying to live in the moment. Your analogy really describes how I use to live most of my life. Worrying about that last hill back home. Thanks for the food for thought. Have a great day!

This was in response to my post on Bicycling. In it, I noted that I have no problem riding out on the trail near my house, because it is all a gradual grade downhill. The trip back is uphill so it is more difficult than the trip out. I play a little mental game when riding the return leg and that is I imagine myself at the next road and not at home. This makes it easier and provides me with a mental boost.

Most should recognize what I am doing, I am dividing the task into smaller and easier to accomplish tasks!

This is definitely something I experience when skiing too, but the focus is even more intense. My peripheral vision is nearly gone, the music on my MP3 player is not heard, and the only thing apparent to myself are the next two turns I need to make. I guess I need to qualify the peripheral vision is not totally shot but the cone of vision is greatly narrowed. When I am skiing at high speeds and under a challenge of some sort (e.g. skiing NASTAR or skiing under difficult snow conditions) I get this big time.

However, another word for that phenomena is tunnel vision, and living life with tunnel vision is a recipe for disaster. If my concentration is too focused when skiing on a public run I could miss that merging trail and forget to slow down and clear the uphill before entering the merged trails and the result could be disastrous.

There is a time and a place to let loose and to live in the moment and there is a time and place to step back and get the broad view. When and where do go from one to the other? Good question without a single and simple answer because of the many variables you have to weigh and judge.

When skiing I take the broad view when trying new things. A new run, a new technique, new gear. I take it slow and easy. I will ski defensively down a run the first couple of times and when I know the run then I will let loose to the edge of my abilities when appropriate.

There is always a time and place for everything the trick is to figuring out what the current time and place need.

Good Stuff!

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