In my first year of teaching, the Ski Club director asked me to be a chaperone. It was a volunteer position, and I didn’t know how to ski, so I wasn’t really interested. When I told her I had never skied, she told me I could take a lesson. I replied “I don’t have enough money.” She told me it was free. When I told her I didn’t have equipment, she told me I could rent. I replied “I don’t have enough money,” and she told me that was also free. Same with the lift ticket. 

It was impossible to argue with the math. So, there I was a few weeks later, taking my first lesson. I was nervous, but I remembered what I had learned from my stick-shift odyssey: new things are difficult, but anxiety only makes them harder. 

I knew I would fall. And I did. A lot.

Continue reading →