Break

While I'm not a big fan of McDonalds, this campaign slogan is a good one. (Which I guess means I'm more of a fan of their advertising agency, and that makes me feel better).   

I haven't skied in a week – last Friday – which was December 30.  I took off Saturday (New Year's Eve) for a few reasons. First, I'd skied or hiked every day for a week and needed a break. Second, we hadn't had any new snow for a while and the conditions were icy. And third, it was getting crowded. That's the least important (and most whiny) reason, since even though the lift lines were long, I still didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes and that's ridiculous to complain about. Still, it added to the reasons.  Instead of skiing, I walked around town and did some errands, and then enjoyed the apres ski festivities. 

I also took off on Sunday, January 1, and I hiked up Smuggler's mountain instead. Monday I walked to the hospital and back, which took almost two hours.  Tuesday I had a "stay at home" day and just worked and wrote. The next day was another hike up Smuggler's Mountain, and then I did something rare for me. I had another stay-at-home day on Thursday; the only activity being a walk to the library for a meeting. 

So why belabor my daily activities? To demonstrate the importance of taking a break.  Today the weather is perfect (as long as you can handle a high of 17 degrees); there are several inches of new snow, and I'm raring to go!  I'll appreciate it infinitely more after the break.  

And this, dear friends, is why I love living in Aspen. I don't have to go skiing every day to fully appreciate it – because I can go the next day or the next. So – to steal from McD's agency again… "I'm Lovin' It!"