Something to Remember

Just something I wrote a few years ago that I need to remember these days...
Look where you're going and No worries!

"Stepping into the Land Down Under was in many ways a leap of faith. A new place, and my first time overseas. Many times, I've had to look at fear in the face and tell it to step aside so I can get on to where I wanted to go and experience Australia at her best.

Like the calm Sydney Harbour, I learned how it was to go with the flow and understand what the Aussies mean when they say "No Worries!"

I've discovered this while learning how to snowboard at the Snowy Mountains in Perisher Valley, about 6 hours from Sydney. In this snowy mountain, I fell down many times and endured pain. There was a point, I slid so fast that I fell backwards and hit my head. But on this pivotal moment, while lying there with my aching head, I caught a glimpse of the classic Australian sky so clear and so blue. I felt so grateful to be there and I began to sit up grasping pure snow with my freezing hands.

There was simply nothing to do but not give up! Stand up again, clutch the snowboard, walk uphill and ride it out...until finally you get down that hill without falling down! and experience the relief of conquering your fear of falling, by embracing the reality that you will fall down. Strangely enough, the less I feared falling, or the moment I accepted the reality of falling and that it was alright to do so (after all it's part of learning) - I began not to fall and managed to balance myself on a snowboard for a perfect downhill slide. Amazing. Accept your fear, release it and you find your balance.

Perhaps it is the first and the last time I will ever go snowboarding but I will never forget the lessons it taught me. I take to the advice of Ewan McGregor in his book the Long Way Round: Part of the adventure is to try. If you fail , then that's fine. As long as you have given it a good chance.

You never do fail as long as you learn your lessons well. From this once-in-a-lifetime snowboarding experience I am taking one simple but crucial lesson home, "Always look where you are going," this is the very first instruction our snowboard teacher gave us. Where your feet-strapped snowboard goes is where you are looking. If you look to your right, your snowboard will head to your right. I figured the same goes in life, where you set your eyes on is where you will most likely end up. So perhaps it is best to be keenly aware at where you are looking. And if you don't like where you are headed, why don't you change your direction by looking somewhere else...perhaps into the direction of your dreams."

It's time I remembered this lesson and keep on focusing on those experiences and activities that give meaning and fullness of life.