I'm Petra and I’m a beginner at snowboarding

‘Beginning’ is a notion we’ve all went through. In several fields of our lives. Some were tough beginnings, others were mild ones.

 

I admit and feel no shame as I do it: I’m a beginner at snowboarding, I suck at it, and it’s surely the toughest sport I’ve ever tried. Still, I’m hanging in there and my will to be able to practise it the way I envision it is strong. It keeps me going and I’m way too ambitious to call it quits. Hey, I did a toe-side turn a couple of days ago!

On the other hand, my ego skyrockets. It’s always been like this. You can clearly imagine the rest: I can’t really stand passers-by perceiving me as weak or totally clumsy at something. And you know why? There are many people who act mean and it really feels discouraging, although it shouldn’t.

The last time that I hit the slopes was an opportunity to connect this meanness to a daily behavioural pattern. Of people who are too busy minding other people’s lives [Keep your breath to cool your porridge!]. Or of others making fun of people who are in some cases only a tad poorer than them in a certain field [It’s like Satan reproving sin]. Or of (even) (certain) snowboarding instructors handing out nasty comments about beginners who are not their students [Cutting off the nose to spite the face].

Wouldn’t it be better to focus entirely on what you’re doing? Or to help the other? Or, better yet, expect to find – beneath that shell of a rookie – a person who’s better than you in at least ten other fields and obviously at heart. It would certainly lead to greater harmony between us, lower amounts of energy thrown away on a black heart, and the feeling that you are indeed living your life as a true human should!  

© Olivia-Petra Coman (text & pic)