Fruits of your Labors

Snowshoeing through Virginia Meisner Sno-park.

My workshop, where the magic happens.

These last two weeks have been a lesson in simplicity. This type of lifestyle is definitely one I can get used to. We all do our part and we help each other out in many ways. I am so thankful. Rather than piping oil or gas in to heat our home, there is a fireplace that we constantly tend to. We chop the wood ourselves. We go out in the snow to restock the wood pile on the deck.

I have been tightening my belt and my pockets are shallow, but that does not mean that fun can't be had. I have not driven my van since I got here. Instead, every errand and every trip has been by bicycle. There is a great feeling of satisfaction getting where you need to go under your own power.

There are many adventures to be had in the snow. Rather than buy lift tickets to get a ride up the mountain, we climbed up ourselves with snowshoes strapped to our feet, snowboards in hand. Every next agonizing step was welcomed because that was just one more foot of descending on the return trip to the bottom. I have never ridden powder, nor have I ever ventured into the back country where the lines made are your own. As we hiked up, I was giddy with suspense as I mind-shredded my way through the trees that we walked by.

Once at the top, the landscape transformed to a harsh, wind-blown, vastness. The views we drank in were that much more awesome because we had arrived there by ourselves, with no help save for the encouragement and the excitement shared by our friends. I was nervous to begin the descent, having not ridden a snowboard in two years, and that was on grainy east-coast slop. We started down, and it took a few attempts to learn how to trim the board so that it planed over the snow, rather than plowed through it. Once I got that down, front leg boned out, weight on the back foot, I began to float and carve my way through the trees, yelping and yipping the whole way down. When I reached the bottom, I amazingly emerged from the woods right where our car was parked. I literally rode right to it. High fives all around and talk of the experience filled the car the whole ride home. It was the most amazing thing I have ever done.

I was surprised also by how good I felt. Nearly every day has held an adventure, whether it has been a snowshoe trek through the woods, or commuting around town on the bikes. There has really been no time to rest, except for the night. I am pleased by my level of fitness and will happily watch as I only become more fit. I even attended my first yoga class today.

It has been amazing so far and I love the satisfaction of the resulting payoff of so much hard work and collaboration when like-minded people work towards a common goal. The best things in life are free.