Thankfulness, snowboard edition

If you enjoy snowboarding, you probably have a lot to be thankful for. Here’s my quickly composed list of people and things for which I am thankful, snowboard-style.

I am thankful to the following people for their role in my snowboarding life.

1. The Lord God, who made me, snow, mountains, and the idea of play.
2. My father-in-law, who introduced me to skiing, which turned to snowboarding. Without him, I would not be a snowboarder (and occasional skier) today.
3. My wife, who supports my snowboarding adventures in many ways.
4. Lauren and the people of NASJA, the North American Snowsports Journalists Association. Lauren introduced me to NASJA. Through it, I have met some interesting people, learned a lot, and gone to some great places.
5. Denny, the ski school director who saw my enthusiasm for snowboarding, and invited me to become an instructor. Teaching snowboarding taught me a lot about myself, the state of my riding, and about interacting with people.
6. I am thankful for one of my students, a 50-year old woman whose name I forgot. After being able to link turns, she told me “Now I can cross this off my bucket list.” She also gave me a $20 tip. Her excitement and gratitude stick with me even now.
7. I am thankful for the various people I interacted with on the Grays on Trays website and through Facebook. They are too many to list here, though a few stand out, especially those I have met face-to-face. In different ways, they encouraged, motivated, and informed me.

Here are some things about snowboarding itself for which I am thankful.

1. Now I welcome winter rather than dread it. Given how long winters are  in the Midwest, that’s a huge benefit.
2. The challenge it presents to overcome obstacles and face fears has helped me in other areas of life, including business and relationships.
3. Snowboarding happens in some of the most beautiful places on earth. The experiences I have had through it have been quite satisfying to my sense of sight (snow-capped mountains, valleys), hearing (the sound of falling snow), smell (pine trees), taste (snow falling on my tongue) and touch (often through my board, sometimes through my skin).
4. The desire to be in better control of my board and able to ride longer during a day has driven me to exercise, which has delivered great physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
5. There’s something inexplicably enjoyable about being in the zone, whether I’m floating on powder, cutting up corduroy, darting through trees, or running gates.

That’s just a start; I’m sure there is more that I could write, but the day awaits. What about you? What about snowboarding (or for that matter, skiing) are you grateful?