Board

Yesterday I took advantage of the school holiday and took S and M snowboarding for the day. Unfortunately, I could not participate because it's still too soon after my back surgery. So I hung out in the lodge and read and people-watched. There were a fair amount of other non-skiing parents doing the same thing. One woman was doing her bills, another the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. I pored over the Star's coverage of the breakup of Brad and Jen. It's so tragic; he simply wants to raise a family and she's just too occupied with her career.

Despite the sad topic of my reading material it was a good day. The boys and I kept in touch via walkie talkie and I occasionally walked out to the base to watch them descend. Both of them did great for the first outing of the season. S has acquired a certain grace in his turns that shows he's growing into his body and losing some of his gawkiness. M, at age 10 displays a purely natural talent and style. I didn't think I would be surpassed so early on, but there it is.

I had hoped to also bring along my girlfriend's son C. Although he is new to snowboarding, the plan was for him to take a lesson and then join my sons on the slope later in the day. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well the night before and it didn't seem like the greatest idea for him to spend a day outside in the cold if he was sick. It's an unfortunately lost opportunity. It's been a struggle to join our families and this event would've provided a convenient venue for bonding.

Over the past couple years, riding together has been the perfect father-son activity. The days we spend boarding are miraculously free from sibling bickering and parental chastisement. I'll write more on that in the future. Right now the question in my head is "Would C have melted into that comfort zone or disrupted it?" Unfortunately, there's no way to know without living it and that too will have to wait for another day.