I sit here on my weekend in the early afternoon just wasting time away. Been bored out of my mind lately, as I am with most summers because I lose my favorite way of life; Skiing all day every day. Staring at the calender, just counting the days until the snow falls once again. As I count through the days, I realize that my birthday is only 17 days away.
The past couple birthdays have been the usual debauchery of going out and drinking my ass off. With that being the same, I am sure I know what this one will have in store. All those fun things aside, I cant help but look at the numbers, of turning 24. Twenty-four years that I have been on this planet. I recall my previous years of high school, hating going, glad to get out and finally having the first real choice of my life besides what cereal and cookies I want to eat. What did I want to do with my life?
Once arriving at the college that looked fun, things still seemed pretty directionless just like high school. It became the routine of going to class, doing homework, going to parties, and thats about it. Really didnt feel any sense of what I wanted to really do in the world. Surely enough, one of my favorite recreational activities would lead me to the work I love so much today.
To most people, skiing is something they do on a vacation. Its a once or twice a year deal, where they plan ahead of time all the things they are going to do, spend too much money doing it, and then its over. It used to be fun and games for me till I saw all the aspects of it. Picked up a job that looked fun and then it turned out to be exactly that. Building and working on your own playground while you work, and the getting to play on it with your days off.
So after 3 years of doing what I love, can’t help but have the broad image of things come into play. Is this really where I want to be? Working for a piss-poor hourly wage that lets you live paycheck to paycheck in places with insane costs of living? I don’t really know. What I do know is that there really isnt anything else I’d rather be doing right now. Going back to school to “upgrade” to a desk job is not what I’m after. I know that for a fact.
This past season, I was offered a new job. Still in the same area of parks, but with improved pay. For the first month or two of spring, I thought I would never want to leave my job of being around during the day, cause it all seemed so much fun. Thinking about it all summer however, has changed my mind. It is the right thing to do, because it is a step up in the industry I love so much. Finally getting some decent pay for the years of experience that are under my belt, and being able to start affording things, like a new car.. (current is almost 220k miles) Finally being able to save money, taking my work and skiing seriously, and spending much less on going out. (Summer is a diffferent story, for now) I’ve been able to regain some of my sanity for the summer months by picking up an activity thats about as much fun as skiing; longboarding. I eagerly await when I will be able to order my new deck and just spend the days hiking and bombing.
All of this leaves me looking forward to next season with great optimism. A new job and the resort I believe is paradise, better pay, and hopefully a new place to live. Although 24 is not a very exciting number, I look at it as another stage in my life. The past year has been pretty turbulent, but I managed to survive it.
Most people make their new-years resolutions for what they hope to accomplish the following year. I make mine on my birthday, Its another year that I have lived, and soon another to be lived (hopefully!!!). So its time to step it up and make it that much better than the last, in every way possible.
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