Accepting the challenge

June 20, 2010

Last week I spoke about my trip and time away from Nathan and how hard it can be for a dad as much as a mom. In the middle of the week I posted the new video. I had started it before the trip, but just hadn’t had time to finish before I left. Late this week I was thinking back on the trip, the things I did, the things I didn’t do, and how one event stood out and means a lot more in retrospect than it did at the time.

Our friends have gotten together for just shy of 20 years, and all but two years have gone to Seven Springs ski resort in the middle of the summer. There’s lots of things to do, even what seems to be the opposite time of year for a place known for skiing. There are people of all sorts of fitness levels, and especially over the past several years I’ve been moving closer to the bottom of the list than the top.

One event that the diehard fitness gurus have faced (besides the morning jogs and power walks) has been “doing the hill.” Basically, starting on the bottom of one of the ski slopes and running or walking your way to the top. I went with four others down to the volleyball courts, and two guys (high on the fitness scale) decided it was time for them to do “the hill.” It took around 10 minutes for them to touch the patrol cabin before weaving their way back down trying not to topple over and face serious injury.

After playing a few games of volleyball, I asked on of the guys who went up, “How stupid of an idea is it for me to try to climb the hill?” In a very supportive tone he replied, “Don’t get me wrong, you’ll be hurting, but I wouldn’t say it’s stupid.” Tired of staring and wondering, I decided to find out for myself and accept the challenge.

Only after I got back home did I try to look up the stats on "the hill." According to the website, it’s a blue rated slope more challenging, but not a black diamond) If I’m reading the map and stats correctly, the slope is 1,595 feet from bottom to top, and has an elevation of 409 feet. Using my 8th grade geometry it has an average angle of incline of nearly 15 degrees.

Off I went, on my own, taking my own pace, wondering how far I’d make it. I kept my head down counting the poles of the ski lift as I’d pass them. I’m one who tries to complete a challenge quickly as there’s always time to rest when it’s done. I did take a couple of breaks when I found myself breathing too hard or heart pounding too fast. I would try to go slow, but eventually my mind would get going faster and faster and my feet would follow. Completely out of breath, I decided to sit down and think things over.

First and foremost, I can’t get hurt. With Annette’s trip a few weeks away I have to be able to take care of Nathan. She’s already worried about how we’ll manage being well, I can’t jeopardize that having a busted ankle or blown-out knee. Second, what do I have to prove to anyone? Anyone at the resort can look over and see a guy sitting on the side of a hill. I’m sure I looked silly, but what did it matter what they think. At the time, I decided that I need to do it for me. (I’m one who often does stupid things “because I can” or “because someone thought I couldn’t”.) I got up and headed up farther.

I made it to what I’m guessing to be about the 1,300 foot mark and sat down a second time; again out of breath, and pulse racing. I looked out and I could see over the 9-story lodge and, marveled at how far I had gotten. I told myself, if there was a true reward at the end, I could make it to the top (even knowing the last part was the steepest) but alas there was no 50” plasma tv or $10,000 waiting for me at the top. Nervously, I made my way back down and still had the ability to make it to the lodge (up 90 steps) and then the ½ mile back to the cabin.

As I posted the video to the site, I put the event into a new perspective. My challenge is a lot like Nathan’s life. More recently, it’s the challenge of getting him going in his walker. To see him move his walker, he’s currently at about the same angle I was going up the hill, each step driving our bodies farther. He may not go as far, but the number of steps is probably pretty close to equal, and we ask him to face this challenge day after day. For me, there was no “next day” it’s maybe “next year” but even that’s a long time to prepare for a one-time event.

I’m glad I took the challenge, and I’m even happier that Nathan accepts his challenges day after day. I take for granted how many things I can do without thinking twice, and how many things he has to think through every little step of the way. I’m glad to have friends who encourage and inspire me as I that’s the role I play everyday with Nathan. I commented on my own link when I posted the video to my Facebook page, and I wrote it with this posting in mind. "Even if we don't accomplish our goals the first time, it doesn't make us a failure. Tomorrow brings new strength, confidence and most of all...hope."

Special thanks to all the friends, family, moms and especially today, dads who keep us conquering our own hills every day. May you achieve all your goals, in your own due time. Everything worth accomplishing is worth fighting for.

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