First Rule- Always Pull a Sled Behind You

When was the last time you saw a few adults in their 40-50-60’s even, pulling a sled up a hill only to just come down and do it again? A bunch of adults, even a couple, WITHOUT children? Probably never.

Does that whole act seem “unproductive” to most adults? Are only productive things the kinds of things we should be striving to accomplish most of our adult lives? And for what again? Remind me. So that we may be more comfortable? Lay around more? Is this our goal? To be able to stop moving as much as we can?

Where are all the adults if they’re not on the sledding hills? In front of their devices? They are financially comfortable enough now to have “home theatres” and there they must sit, sucking beers and having the time of their lives.

My 23- year- old son Bryce is still living at home for the time being as he grows his freelance illustration business. We work upstairs in our log home where it is warmer, me writing, he drawing, getting each other cups of coffee, taking turns tossing logs in the fire, asking advice on angles, lines, design or word choice. And while we work, I remind him that we MUST take a break every day and get outside and stretch our eyes to see far, not just stay at our desks on our computers, we must stretch our limbs and shake loose the sluggishness and stretch our minds too so we can return to our work and have fresher, new ideas and ways of thinking. I told him he must develop healthy working habits and not just strive to be a good illustrator but also have a happy life.

Bryce’s exercise of choice at this time of year is sledding so sledding it is.

The other day we went down the nearby ½ mile long tractor road they’ve grown up on but it was sluggish, so we glanced around the area and saw a pristine, smooth as silk steep hillside. We climbed up and had a passable ride down. The next would be better with a track, of course. But this land is owned by Christmas tree farmers and hidden under the snow were tree stumps that only surfaced after the second run. We let out a scream when we slammed our tailbones over the bumps.

I got injured. Bending over to pick up my fallen glove made me wince in pain.

My GF Maryalice called me as we were walking home, pulling our sleds.

“I’m sledding!” I yell through the phone.

“I wanna go sledding too!” she yells back.

Then she remembers, “The last time I sledded, the kids were young and I broke my finger. “

“Was it worth it?” I asked her.

“Absolutely.”

When we returned home, and my husband heard what happened, he said… “It isn’t worth it,” “You get hurt and it sets you back too far.”

“Really?” Bryce asked, “It isn’t worth it?

“Really?” I asked as I lowered myself into our sunken clawfoot cast iron tub and was careful to sit on the side of my butt and not straight on but still winced in pain.

“I think so.”

“It can take ½ a year to heal a broken tail bone,” he announces.

But it isn’t broken, just bruised with a lump.

The next day my tailbone hurt when I bent over and just the fabric of my jeans pressed against the bone, making me cry out. So I asked Bryce if we could just walk the next day instead of sledding.
“I’ll pull a sled behind me, just in case,” he announces.

But the PA state gamelands road that we walked on had an excellent hill that was exceptional for sledding.

“You can have my coat if you want to try.” Bryce offers. “You could try kneeling too, or just walk and I’ll wait for you at the bottom.”

I know that it is a HUGE GIFT that my 23-year-old son even wants to sled with his mother.

“Let’s do it.”

I folded up Bryce’s coat into a pillow shape, then balled up my fist and placed it under my one butt cheek to elevate it.

We had a fantastic run, bailed on a sharp turn, and climbed the hill again.

It was so much fun. How I love living life like this.

“From now on,” we decided, “We don’t go on any more walks in the snow without a plastic sled being pulled behind us.”

“Deal.”

I know my days are numbered with my workmate son and he will move on to his own home in his own life. Then the husband is going to HAVE to come along.

We’re going to sled in our 60’s and our 70’s and hopefully our 80’s.

And skate (who ever sees adults skating on farm ponds anymore or kids for that matter?)

I DID get Todd to X-country ski the last few days, after he cleaned out the ice in the gutters and all the other responsible things homeowners need to do.

Make winter fun.

After all, we don’t quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing.”

First rule, always pull a sled behind you.